


X-Men: Genesis (Introduction into the MCU)

by acehawkins



Series: X-Men: Genesis [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 70,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29266725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acehawkins/pseuds/acehawkins
Summary: Introducing the X-Mento the Marvel Cinematic Universe!Prof. Xavier, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Ice Man, Angel, & Hank McCoy. With the original team together and back in the right hands, anything is possible!We join the team and jump straight into action as they deal with rebel Mutants, Mutant discrimination, inner turmoil and so much more.This is a version of the team like we have never seen in the movies before. It remains faithful to the comics while finding its own new way. The team consists of the original five members of the X-Men, along with thehelp of others.***I started working on this project two years ago, right after the announcement that Disney purchased Fox. We all knew the X-Men would eventually enter the MCU… And this is it. Enjoy! - Aaron
Series: X-Men: Genesis [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149287
Kudos: 3





	X-Men: Genesis (Introduction into the MCU)

PART 1:

Romania

''To most of the world, I am just some young, green-haired, pale skinned, “emo chick". Not to be excluded were the other people riding the same train through Europe. The green hair is apparently a thing, based on the constant stares. Come on people, it is 2023. Wild-colored hair isn't really all that abnormal nowadays.

There was one other passenger in the cabin with me. After being caught staring a few times, he made his best attempt at starting a conversation in his native language. I wonder what he saw when he looked at my face. Could he see my pain? My anger? Did he notice my clenched fists protruding from the sleeves of my leather jacket? I ignored the man and peered out the window trying to forget everything, at least for the span of the train ride, and just enjoy the European countryside, but all I saw was my own big, dark eyes staring back at me. My mind wouldn't allow me to escape. It was just me and my thoughts.''

***

The same girl with green hair, only a few years younger, sat aboard her father's Cirrus SR22 G6 GTS, personal aircraft. Her father piloted the plane. He was a strict military man. The girl had been out flying with him dozens of times, but this flight was not like others. It started out silent. However, once they were hundreds of feet from the ground, her dad began to yell at her mother. The girl was terrified by the screaming inside the tight quarters, so far up in the sky. It was the perfect recipe for an anxiety attack. The girl tried numerous times to intervene, only to be hushed every time. The next thing she knew, her Dad had grabbed her mother by the throat and forced her head against the window, as he screamed at her. The girl grabbed a hold of her father's arm and pulled him off her mother. Just then, he unbuckled himself and began climbing into the backseat.

"Don't you touch me! This is all because of you!" Her father roared.

The girl began crying, "Daddy! Why? Why are you so angry?"

"Do not call me that! I am not your father, and she is not your mother!"

The girl reached out for her father only to be swatted away. He connected with her face and she dropped to the floor sobbing.

Her mother pleaded, "Arnold, stop it! You are overreacting! This is not her fault."

"Overreacting? You told me this thing was mine, you told me you were pregnant and had my child while I was deployed. This green-haired freak is not mine! Don't you dare tell me I am overreacting!" He grabbed his wife by the face and shoved her back into her seat.

"I am adopted!?" The girl questioned, in tears.

"You're finally getting it. Somebody else didn't want you, and neither do I."

She had just gotten back up, but then she crumbled down again. The girl began screaming. She did not want to believe what he was saying could be true. These were her parents and they raised her. They were all she had. She began to tremble. She was sweating and could hardly catch her breath. In the spur of the moment, the plane went into a nosedive and began to cave in like a soda can being crushed.

Her father fell back into his seat and could see them headed straight for the ground through the windshield and began panicking. "What is happening?!"

He tried to pull back on the steering, but nothing happened. He began to cry as the panic set in. It was already a small plane, but the size was decreasing by the second as the cabin was being squished. The plane was headed straight for the ground with no sign of stopping. Suddenly, her father swung around and looked back at her. She wiped away her tears, to make eye contact with him.

Before either could speak, her mother did. "Oh, God… Oh my God!"

And then the crumbled-up plane slammed into the ground. It was like a giant piece of metal was dropped from hundreds of feet up. The girl's parents both died instantly. Somehow, the girl was completely untouched inside of the tin can.

***

''Still trapped inside my memory, I didn't notice the man across from me clutching an unopened can of soda. In an instant, it burst, and soda blasted all over him and his side of our shared cabin. By the time I snapped back to reality, he was already on his feet freaking out gesturing to his mess while looking at me, as if to ask if I saw. I knew exactly what happened. I was responsible for it. Just as I had been for the airplane crash that killed my adoptive parents. I rose from my seat, side-stepped around the mess, and then I slid the cabin door open and exited, without a word.”

** Chapter I**

"Mutant Town, New York (formerly Staten Island). In the five years since the blip, Mutant kind has risen and this borough of NY is where the foulest, most rotten, most hideous, terrible, and unaccepted Mutants reside. There is constant mutant, gang warfare between warring clans. The shot we are seeing is amid the "Great Mutant War".” Reported the veteran news journalist from a helicopter hovering over Mutant Town. “This, the same month as the return of those who had previously been blipped, five long years ago. Rivaling clans are all trying to kill each other. The normal people who used to inhabit Staten Island have blipped back into existence and are now caught in the middle of this warzone."

Charles Xavier along with his associates and students watched what was going on, on the television from the great room of the 'Charles Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters'. Professor Xavier sat alongside mechanic and tech enthusiast, Forge. Watching over his shoulder with arms crossed was his original protégé and recently returned from the blip, Dr. Hank McCoy. The three talked amongst themselves.

Scott Summers sat on the couch hunched forward with his elbows on his knees adamantly watching the news, through his ruby tinted glasses. Beside him, his secret crush of many years, the red-headed telepath known as Jean Grey, was also watching the television. Seated next to her was the youngest member of the group, Bobby Drake. He was skimming through his phone, only giving half of his attention to the television.

Standing behind the couch was Alex Summers, the younger brother of Scott. Finally, beside him was his best friend in the mansion and recently returned from the blip, "The Angel" Warren Worthington III. The two of them made wisecracks and rude comments as everyone watched the television.

Scott, a true hero at heart, had finally seen enough and turned to his mentor. "Professor, we should be doing something!"

"This is not our fight, Mr. Summers." Professor Xavier responded.

Alex scoffed. "Not our fight? This is as much our fight as anyone's." Alex argued, not caring whose fight it was, but just wanting to be a part of it.

"The answer is no. We will not take part in this war." Xavier affirmed, first to Alex and then gazing into the eyes of everyone else. "I have sought Human/Mutant coexistence for my entire adult life. These events that are taking place in Mutant Town are detrimental to that vision." He continued.

# _________________________________________

After dinner Hank went to his lab and Forge went down to his workshop, each working on their respective tasks. Charles retired to his chambers for the evening. The five students regathered to continue watching the live coverage from Mutant Town. Multiple sidebar conversations were taking place between the five of them when suddenly, there was a huge explosion caught on camera and the news camera zoomed in.

There stood a woman with an eye patch, greasy black hair, and scars all over her face and arms, standing atop a mountain of rubble as fallen mutants and their slayers watched on.

"This so-called "Great Mutant War" is over! We have conquered all others and put an end to it. To the mutants surrounding me, conscious or unconscious, on your feet or left lying, join us or stay out of our way. And for everyone else..."

Just then, a black woman with a white Mohawk took to the sky overhead. Her arms went out to the side, as her eyes turned solid white. She grimaced as dark clouds formed in the sky and thunder began to rumble. She turned the violent night into a severe thunderstorm. All the news chopper pilots, hovering over Mutant Town, lost visibility and began to panic. One lowered towards the ground, low enough that a mutant was able to jump up and stick to the side of the helicopter and then shoot his tongue out, wrapping it around the camera man's ankle and pulled him out along with his camera. This filthy Mutant dragged him to the woman making the declaration.

As she stared into the man's camera, she continued, "… This is our message to the world. LEAVE. US. BE! I am Callisto, and these are my Morlocks. Heed our warning."

The live footage continued as the cameraman desperately ran back to the helicopter. Just as he was about to climb back into the chopper, Callisto threw a knife into the back of his shoulder and he fell, dropping the camera onto the floor of the chopper facing out of the other side. The Pilot screamed and exited the chopper. As he continued getting further and further away, suddenly, a Mutant covered in brown fur swiftly bounded across the ground like a cat. Just as it was about to pounce, the live feed cut off…

Alex began shouting, "We have to do something!"

But his older brother reminded him what the Professor said earlier in the evening. The two began bickering and shouting at each other. Neither brother particularly liked the other, they only try because of their shared blood.

Jean listened for a moment to the brothers and then spoke up. "Alex is right, Scott. The world just got everyone back and this is the impression Mutant kind is leaving? Not all mutants are war-mongering, barbaric, world-threatening, "Monsters". We have been training for years. If not now, then when? When else is the time for us to step up?"

Scott was shocked at the revelation of Jean agreeing with Alex, especially against him. Despite having different motivations for joining the fight than Jean, Alex quickly positioned himself physically beside her. Bobby always one to take the side of Jean moved closer to her as well. Warren stood beside his closest friend, Alex, also taking Jean's side. He always tried to impress Jean, especially in spite of Scott.

Scott made one last attempt to retort but was shut down by the group. "Alright, fine." He responded and marched out of the room.

Jean instructed the others. "Get your training gear on, and meet in the hangar, we leave for Mutant Town in thirty minutes!"

# _________________________________________

A half-hour later, the team, save for Scott, boarded the X Jet together and prepared for takeoff. Jean began flipping the switches in the cockpit in preparation. Warren had minimal experience in flying a plane, so he sat back and let Jean do all technical stuff while he flirted with her. Bobby and Alex secured themselves into the seats in the back. After a few more minutes they were off, en route for Mutant Town.

# _________________________________________

Back at the mansion, Scott reentered the great room, only to realize that the others actually left without him. He knew their plan would not end any other way than badly, so, he made a hasty decision, and ran up to his room to quickly throw on his gear before hustling down to the garage and firing up his motorcycle. Scott was always very reluctant to disobey the Professor, but he knew he needed to be in the field with the team.

# _________________________________________

Jean and Warren prepared the jet for landing in Mutant town. Once grounded the four teammates exited. They all looked around at the devastation that used to be Staten Island.

"So, when people think of us, and our kind, this what they think?" Bobby asked.

Jean turned to him with a saddened look of confirmation. "Unfortunately, so. It is a shame they think we are all…"

Warren interrupted to finish her sentence sarcastically. "Hideous creatures?"

"It doesn't matter what we look like. We are one, mutants and humans alike, Warren. We must show the others like us and the rest of the world that it is time to put an end to the oppression and the violence." Jean re-interjected.

Alex was still looking around, dumbfounded by the destruction. He began shouting as he took off running in no particular direction.

They were being watched from a distance by other Mutants, two members of the Morlocks. The male was tall, skinny, and had skin so white it appeared it had never been touched by sunlight. His muscle tone was impossible to miss, mostly because of his lack of body fat. His eyes were bright yellow, like two suns. Beside him was a woman dressed in all white. Her skin and hair were like a rainbow.

The male looked to the rainbow woman. " Send word to Callisto, there appears to be a new threat on the surface."

# _________________________________________

The Morlocks were down in the sewers, their home when the message was delivered. Callisto decided to use a child from her faction, as a decoy. The boy's skin color was pink. He had big yellow bulgy eyes, and a weird, shaped skull. He was very alien in appearance. She instructed him to use his powers to cause a distraction. The boy, a mute, nodded in acknowledgment of her command and ran off down a dim and musty hallway until he disappeared into the darkness.

# _________________________________________

Jean and the team were still trekking through the destruction when suddenly in front of them, they saw a very out-of-place scene ahead of them. They all took cover to watch. In front of them, they watched a man, who appeared to be a Doctor as he stole something from a lab desk. Suddenly, the scene completely changed, and the same man could be seen exiting a building with his contraband. And then the man was shot. Alex jumped up to go and do something about what he just witnessed but was yanked back by Warren.

Bobby turned to Alex. "Dude, I am not sure what is happening, but that wasn't real. Didn't you see the change in scenery midway through? What do you think Jean? Jean?"

The group looked over to her.

She was busy using her gifts. "Aha! There is a mutant nearby, he is projecting his thoughts to appear in front of us." Jean informed.

"Well, where the hell is he?" Shouted Alex.

"I'll let you know" Warren claimed through a smirk, as he used his big, beautiful, angel wings to lift off the ground and into the air. He flew ahead, surveying the ground below.

"THERE!" Warren screeched as he tucked his wings and dive-bombed towards the ground.

The Morlock jumped out from his hiding place and made a run for it. The rest of the team saw him and gave chase.

"He is four-foot nothin', how is he so fast?" Gasped Alex.

Bobby, replied. "Home field advantage.”

All four students were in full pursuit, chasing the Mutant child across the destruction and rubble.

Before any of them could reach him, Jean stopped and called out to the other three telepathically. "Stop. It's a trap!"

Everyone stopped where they were and watched as the young Morlock made his getaway. Still clearly able to see him Warren lost his patience and flew after him again. Like a giant bird, swooping in and snatching his prey, Warren grabbed the child and then swung upwards back towards the sky.

"I caught it." Warren disgustedly reported to his team.

By then, more Morlocks had reached the surface and Warren's callout gained their attention. The leader, Callisto, stepped out from a tunnel and held up a heavy sniper rifle. She lined up her shot, squeezed the trigger, and fired a round. The bullet cut through the air, straight for Warren. Upon hearing the sniper rifle going off, he dropped his prey and curled his wings inwards to shield himself. The round ripped straight through one of them causing immense pain. Warren fell from the sky and landed body first in the windshield of an abandoned SUV on the side of the road.

When Artie was dropped, he was caught by a large black man that appeared to have been shot in the side of the head previously, but all it did was shatter the side of his face.

Jean called out to the rest of the team. "We are in way over our heads, we have to go!"

Alex screamed back. "Not without Angel, we aren't!" As if he thought Jean intended to leave without him.

"Bobby, can you provide some cover for Alex to get to Warren?" Jean requested.

"You got it!" Bobby accepted.

He held up his hands and created something bigger than he ever had before, an enormous wall of ice to defend the team. Jean remained hidden as she closed her eyes and raised her first two fingers to her temple trying to detect the minds of the Morlocks to privy herself as to what was next.

She could hear Callisto's order to one of her subordinates. "Madin, get out there!"

Before Jean could give a heads up, a fierce young man with purple skin, and blades, appearing to be made of light coming from his skin, came slashing right through the wall of ice. He was able to dodge all of Alex's attacks until he was up close and within striking distance of him. He collided with Alex and was on top of him in full mount. He drew back his arm, which possessed his light blade, before he could strike, a red blast crashed into his chest and launched him backward off Alex. Alex turned to see where it came from to see his brother, Scott.

Scott began calling the shots to his team and directing them.

"You guys get back to the jet, bring it down over here for a hasty evac!" He ordered Jean and Bobby.

He then directed his attention to Alex "How bad is he? Can he fly, can he even walk?"

Alex through a panicked voice shouted back. "I don't know, I haven't been able to make it over there."

When Scott and Alex finally reached Warren, they found him conscious but pretty banged up. Scott checked his spinal cord for damage, and finally made the decision that they needed to pull him out of the dash of the vehicle he slammed into and get him behind cover. They gently got him down and Scott began assessing the damage to Warren's wing. He reached into his individual first aid kit and pulled out some pressure bandaging. He told Alex to keep an eye out.

Just as he did, the vehicle they were using for cover was lifted into the air by a massive man, nearly the size of The Hulk. He raised the SUV overhead and was just about to slam it onto Scott and Warren, when Alex held out his hands and blasted the SUV from his hands, before sending a second blast directly at the man, causing him to stumble backward.

The brothers got Angel to his feet and began moving in the direction of the X jet.

"The attack seems to have eased up. We need to act fast before they continue the ambush." Commanded Scott to Alex and Angel.

The X jet lowered in front of them. Bobby hopped out to pull security while Scott and Alex loaded Angel into the jet. They laid him on the floor and secured his semi-conscious body.

"Uhh guys, they are coming!" Bobby bellowed out.

"Alex, get out there and assist Bobby!" Scott directed.

As Alex was hopping out two more mutants were coming their way. One of them, like a large cat, the same one they saw on the news attacking the helicopter pilot just before the transmission was severed. The other was a woman with red-tinted skin and red hair. As she was charging closer Alex saw bones begin to protrude from her arms, legs, and forehead. She pulled a long sharp-ended one from her body, clearly intending to use it as a weapon. Alex sent a blast her way, but she was able to evade all his ranged attacks. Before he could let another one off, she was close enough to attack, hand to hand.

Bobby was keeping busy with the cat lady, creating obstacles between the two of them. She bounded from one to the next with ease, getting closer and closer. Finally, she lunged for him. He held his hands up with the intent to create an ice shield, but nothing happened, and before he knew it, she was on top of him.

"Alex!... Scott!... Jean…" Bobby cried out.

Scott heard this. "Bobby, I'm coming!".

As he exited the jet, he saw his brother and Bobby both under attack. He also observed an open manhole cover near Bobby with a little green creature peeking out at him. Scott aimed his first blast there, but the creature disappeared back into the hole. Instantly, as if the creature had been blocking Bobby's powers, they returned. But not like they ever had before. Bobby turned into a human snowman. The cat lady paused in her attack, not understanding what was happening. Scott took advantage of her hesitation and sent another blast towards her as she was mounted over Bobby. She was sent tumbling backward through the air, nearly fifteen feet. Next, Scott knew he needed to help his brother, but he was engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Scott could not just shoot a blast over there.

"Hey Snowman, give me a hand." Scott directed with a smirk.

"Real funny!" Bobby responded.

Back inside the jet, Jean tended to Angel. She put an oxygen mask on him to keep him breathing properly. But suddenly the airflow stopped. The lights in the cockpit area began to flicker on and off, and then the jet finally shut down. Jean ran over to the dash. Through the windshield, something caught her attention. She saw a young woman with shoulder-length white hair, and electricity emanating from her eyes, almost forming a mask over the upper portion of her face.

The woman was standing ahead of the jet with her arms outstretched towards it. With her fingertips, she was creating a series of electrical bursts that had shorted the jet's power supply. Jean stepped back from the windshield and put her hands up to the sides of her face, again, as she began to concentrate. Abruptly, the woman's electric blasts stopped.

"What are you doing? How are you inside of my head? Stop…stop it now!" She screamed out.

Just then, she passed out and collapsed on the ground. Jean unfocused, bewildered. She did not understand what just happened to the woman. She entered her mind, but she did not sedate her. Regardless, the power surge on the jet had ended.

Outside the jet, the woman with the bones sticking out of her skin was still maintaining the upper hand against Alex, Scott, and Bobby. She was much more skilled in hand-to-hand combat than Alex, and Bobby. Maybe even Scott. Not to mention the seemingly never-ending supply of bones she could pull from her body and uses as weapons to attack. She and the bloodied Alex were standing toe to toe when Bobby got his closest attempt to freeze her in place, but she turned and stabbed him in his side. Both paused for a moment, to register the wound, but it had no effect as he was still in this new snowman form. He grabbed her by the wrist, and she began to get encapsulated in ice from his hand, up her body. Alex dropped down to his side and swept her legs out with his, leaving her laying on the ground, frozen almost completely solid.

"Come on guys, let's get out of here!" Scott called out as he wiped the blood from his lip and moved for the X jet. He jumped in first and then stood at the door and reached out for Bobby to grab his hand.

Down the street was Callisto, still armed with her sniper rifle. She stalked their movement through the scope and finally took her shot. The sound rang through Mutant Town. The rifle propelled a bullet right for the head of Bobby as he climbed into the jet. In that instant, the bullet collided with his snowy head and his body dropped into Scott's arms.

"NOOOO!" Scott yelled. "Jean, get us up! We have to get the hell out of here!" He ordered.

Jean was still trying to get the jet started again from the electrical attack.

"Jean... GO!" Scott commanded once more.

"Scott, I am trying…" She aggressively responded.

Running out of ideas, she peered through the windshield and saw the woman with the electrical powers trying to get to her feet. Jean squeezed her tear-filled eyes shut, placed one hand on her temple, the other on the ignition switch, and revisited the mind of the woman in front of her. Jean attempted something she had never done before. Just then the woman's arm went up and a strike of electricity came from her hand towards the jet. Jean had possessed the woman's mind and manipulated her to use her power on the jet again. Just as the surge hit the jet, Jean’s eyes opened wide and she twisted the ignition switch.

"It worked!" She exclaimed. "We are out of here team!"

They were headed for safety; however, they were in dire straits. Angel laid on the floor semi-conscious with an oxygen mask on his face and medical bandaging stuffed into the hole in his wing so that he did not bleed out. Bobby's limp body, back in human form, laid lifeless in the defeated arms of Scott.

# _________________________________________

The team had been out all night, the sun was beginning to rise when they returned to the mansion. Upon the defeated team’s arrival into the hangar, Jean could see the Professor, Forge, and Hank waiting inside, through the windshield. She knew they were in for it as soon as they left the jet. Warren was able to walk, barely, so Scott assisted him down the ramp. As the two advanced towards him, Charles requested Forge take Warren to the medical bay, and told Scott to stay.

"Bobby is in the jet still. He is unconscious" Scott informed.

"I'll retrieve the boy. Are there any other conditions you are aware of?" Responded Hank, before he hustled over to the jet.

"No, just the head injury."

Scott stood before the Professor in a position of parade rest, while he waited.

When Hank entered the jet, he saw Jean kneeled over the comatose body of Bobby. He stepped closer as she looked up teary-eyed.

"What can you tell me?" Hank inquired.

"We were all under attack. Scott says he was in some kind of snowy, frosty state, from head to toe. Then he took a bullet from a long-range rifle directly to the side of his head. It knocked him unconscious immediately." Jean informed through tears. "Currently, I am able to locate his mind." She continued.

"Hmm, his entire body was encapsulated in a layer of snow? This must be a new manifestation of his gifts. I can't help but speculate if this served to protect him from the bullet."

Hank took Bobby into his arms, one arm under his neck and head, the other, in the crook of his knees, and carried him out of the jet to the medical bay. Jean followed until she reached the Professor and Scott.

"Professor, I am so sorr…"

"Jean, I do not want to hear it. The five of you deliberately went against my instruction. Now Warren is injured, Bobby is completely unconscious having been shot in the head, and…" Charles turned to look straight at Scott as he continued "Can either of you tell me where Alex is?"

Scott's heart sank as his eyes grew large inside his visor. He could feel an entirely new level of anxiety consume his body. He bit the inside of his lip as he tried to recall where Alex was. Scott had been separated from his brother before, and Alex still had not let him live it down, but this time it was in a warzone. How would Alex ever forgive him if he even survived being left alone this time?

Scott raised his hands towards his head burying his hands into his hair before lowering them and balling them into fists as he tried to find words, any words, to speak.

Finally, he shouted, "Damnit! Jean, why didn't you guys just listen to me? Why didn't you listen to the Profess…" Then he paused, tilting his head back, and readjusting his posture as he sighed, before turning to Charles, and resuming, "Professor, I am at fault for what happened tonight. I take full responsibility for this but I need to go back out there and get Alex!"

Scott turned to march back towards the jet.

"Scott hold on." Charles looked to Jean. "Go on, Scott and I need to have a discussion. See if Hank needs your assistance in the medical bay."

Jean looked to Scott with uncertainty, unsure why he ceased in his near verbal attack on her, only to take the blame himself. She then hurried off, and Charles turned to face Scott again.

"He is fine. Hank realized all of you were gone a few hours ago when Jean failed to respond to a page to come to his lab. He alerted me and I found the five of you, using Cerebro and have been actively observing the situation since then. Alex is still in Mutant Town, however, as of, I'd say, about twenty minutes ago, Alex was safe."

"Then I need to go back and get him!"

"Scott, I understand you believe you need to save your brother. But he is safe for now. You cannot run back into the warzone alone. You need to rest."

"Professor, Alex is out there alone! My brother is surrounded by people that want to kill him, and you're suggesting we do nothing? I can't… I can't do that. I promised our Mom and Dad I would look after him a long time ago, and I have failed before, I can't keep failing him." Scott cried out.

"Scott, you aren't failing him now, and what happened before was not your fault. Listen to me, Scott. Who will look after your brother if you rush back out there now and something happens to you? The team is in no shape, and Scott, you are in no shape. Not physically, or emotionally. We will get back out there, we will save him, but right now, you and the others need to recuperate. I will monitor Alex.

"I get it. I don't know how much resting I will be able to do, knowing he is out there, but I will try. And then tonight, I will tear Mutant Town apart for my brother." Scott turned to march out of the hanger, while Charles looked on.

"I will make sure he isn't in harm. Tonight, those of you who are fit will deploy for rescue ops." Scott stopped, listening. "Scott, I understand your torment over this, and I believe you are right…"

"…But we need rest. And I believe you are right, Professor, but that doesn't put my mind at ease anymore." Scott interrupted with a frown before walking away.

# _________________________________________

After Bobby took the bullet and collapsed into Scott's arms, Alex made a split-second decision not to board the jet. In the action, this went unnoticed by Scott who was tending to Bobby, and Jean who was piloting the jet alone.

He returned fire, blasting his circular waves in multiple directions. Alex had a difficult time channeling his waves to a single direction unless he focused extremely hard. In this instance, he was nearing exhaustion and blasting furiously with no focus.

When the jet had escaped his sight, Alex ceased and dropped to his hands and knees on the ground, desperately trying to catch his breath. The team had been out most of the night and he had never exerted himself like that, in combat, before. Alex knew he needed to find shelter and rest his body. He had sustained numerous lacerations, bumps, and bruises throughout the evening.

Finally, having calmed down, he got back to an upright position one foot at a time and began scanning his surroundings for a place to rest. It was only then he realized the frozen Morlock he had battled with, still locked in her position. He turned and started to move in another direction and saw another Morlock laying on the ground, possibly dead, in front of where the Jet had previously been.

He could hear the voices of Morlocks in the distance. They were getting closer. Unsure of how much time he had, knew he needed to get out of sight as quickly as possible. He hustled eastward until he noticed a semi tipped over with its side on top of another car and decided that would have to do. He pulled himself onto the sideways hood of the big truck and climbed in through the already shattered driver’s side of the windshield. He was surprised by how much space there was in this extended cab semi-truck. It was like a small apartment back there. Of course, it had seen better days and looked like a disaster. The contents of the small cabinetry were flung around, a broken microwave laid face down on the ground. Alex noticed the mess, but in his mind, he made out.

As he took a seat with his back against the folding partition wall, that separated the front of the cab from the back, he reached into his IFAK and pulled out some bandaging to wrap around some of his deeper cuts. The female fighter he had clashed with before, did some damage. Through a small window, Alex noticed the sun was beginning to rise. He had been awake and exerting a great deal of energy all night, and all he wanted to do was shut his eyes and sleep. As Alex sat there and the adrenaline dampened, he could further feel his injuries. He finally gave up and tipped over onto his side, resting his head on an old leather jacket that was already in the truck.

He laid there pondering his life. Despite deciding on his own without Scott even knowing, he was still burdened with feelings of resentment for him. He could not help but feel like he was abandoned by his brother for the second time in his life. He wondered if Scott even realized he was not there, yet.

Deep down in Alex's subconscious where he had no control, his mind often sought out reasons to be mad at Scott. It was sort of his way of protecting himself by never forgiving his brother or letting him in close again.

As Alex struggled to stay awake and his eyes kept trying to shut, the last thing that crossed his mind was Lorna. She was the closest friend he ever had, and he was completely in love with her. Alex had not seen Lorna's face for himself in years, yet this was the face he always thought of whenever he closed his eyes, and this time was no exception.

PART 2:

Kenya

"I roamed the halls, scouting all the doors and security movements for hours. The looks I get in other places around the world were nothing compared to the bizarre glares I received from the crowd traveling through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Keeping a low profile could not have been more difficult.

I sought to board a cargo aircraft after I uncovered it would be delivering to the largely unknown island off the western coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, known as Genosha. It was a long shot, but I needed to board that plane to reach the end of my journey. From where I sat in the lobby of the Kenya Airports Authority, I was less than 800 meters from the freight terminal, where the plane was being loaded. My requisition to board the plane was useless. There was a major language barrier. Even the best English speaker in the building was not fluent enough.

I was offered a seat while the staff tried to figure out how to help me, along with their other daily tasks they were assigned. I feared that they would be of no help to me before the plane took off. Sitting there, waiting, I began to lose myself in reflection of my odyssey to find my truth."

***

When her parent's plane had gone down as a child, she was retrieved by agents working for a woman named Moira McTaggert. These people also recouped all her essentials from her home in northern California, along with all the important documents her parents had on her, including the ones her mom had hidden, covering her adoption. She would live, study, and train with Moira on Muir Island in Scotland for a few years. When she learned Moira had been hiding information from her, about her past, she left. Only taking the clothes on her back, and her file.

After leaving Muir island, she decided she was not going to open the file and just wanted to live as normal a life as she possibly could. By the beginning of 2018, she was living in a flat in Leeds, England. This is where she was when the blip happened. She was one of the many that vanished on that fateful day. When the Avengers undid the actions of Thanos, and all the people who had been gone finally returned after a five-year absence, she found herself back in her flat. However, it was no longer hers. A young family had moved in while she was gone. This made for an awkward moment. The property owner kept boxes full of personal items belonging to all of those that had disappeared. When she found her box, she only took her file and trashed the rest.

That evening while wandering the streets, unsure what to do next with her life, she was approached by a couple of young punks with piercings all over their faces.

Sneering at her, one of them spoke "Lovely night out tonight, innit bruv?"

To which the other responded. "Oh yeah, Tom. Lovely night indeed. Almost as lovely as this little bird we've here." The unnamed man then reached for her face, but she swatted his hand away. "Oh, a mardy lass. Why don't you quit faffing around, and give us summat."

Her eyes squinted, totally fearless towards these men, "And what makes you think I'd want to spend my time with some dodgy chavs like you?"

One of the men took notice of her accent. "You hear that Tom?"

"Yeah, sounds like we found ourselves a Yank. Maybe we should show her a proper English night out." Tom replied before he lunged for her and grabbed her by the throat.

The unnamed man began trying to undress her as she dropped her folder and struggled to get Tom's hands from around her throat. Finally, she had enough of this absurdity. She knew she could end it at any moment, and now was that moment. Tom's grip on her throat released and he fell to the ground, half screaming in pain, half coughing until his tongue piercing shot out of his mouth along with a trail of blood and saliva. The other man began shouting until Tom looked up and stuck his tongue out. It looked as though the piercing had been ripped from his tongue.

The other man looked back to her, and gestured to his friend, suspecting that she did something. He went to raise a fist, then suddenly, he covered his face with his hands and dropped to his knees, blood began draining from his face, between his fingers.

"STOP IT!" He screamed.

He looked up at her, pleading. All his piercings, from the ones in his eyebrows, nose, and lips were torn out. Both men were on all fours, crying in pain as blood dripped from their faces to the sidewalk below. She stood over them, smirking at their torture.

"Ah come on guys. I thought you were going to show me a proper night out. I guess you've changed your mind. Well, it was nice meeting you anyway. I am gonna shoot off now. You know us, yanks, always flying by the seat of our pants. Have a good'n."

Her face suddenly transformed to cold and serious as she turned and walked away. This was her normal appearance. The first time she had used her abilities since moving to England, and it was as she was leaving. It was at this moment she decided to search into her past. The adoption documents from California said she was transferred there from an orphanage in Romania around the time of her first birthday. So, she decided that was where she would go first.

***

"I was jolted back to consciousness when the heavy metal front door to the building slammed shut behind someone who just entered. I looked across the room at the clock on the wall. Only then did I realize I had wasted too much time already and sitting there waiting for assistance, was a lost cause. If I was going to make my plane, then I needed to find a way, myself. Even if my way was less than lawful. I rose from my seat and walked out the door without a word."

** Chapter II**

A few minutes after noon, Hank and Forge collaborated on something in Forge's shop. Multiple News personalities could be heard discussing the events of the evening before when the Morlocks brought down a News helicopter, from a television mounted on the wall on the far side of the room.

"Still to come, a special announcement from Senator Kelley regarding Mutant affairs." Advertised one of the News anchors.

Charles entered the room in his wheelchair and requested an update from Hank on the status of Warren and Bobby.

"Warren suffered numerous injuries last night, his wing especially. However, he would appear to be mending rather expeditiously. Bobby, on the other hand, endured a significantly powerful impact on his temporalis. Fortunately, he seemingly manifested a new addition to his gifts. During the battle, he found himself in danger and inadvertently conjured a layer of, "Snow" to protect the entirety of his body. Had this not been the case, I fear, we may have lost Bobby last night…

Ms. Grey successfully healed the concussive trauma to his brain that could have generated other complications over time. Then, in true experienced telepath form, she proved capable in waking him from his catatonia." Hank delivered this news with cheer and did not hold back his grin when referring to Jean as experienced when speaking to the greatest telepath the world had ever seen.

"Yes, Jean is never one to fail in confirming that her studies are doing wonders for her handle on her gifts. One day, I believe she will be the most superior telepath to that ever lived."

Despite admitting that Jean has the potential to be a greater telepath than even himself, Charles was pleased to make that statement. Joyously, Charles carried on. "I am ecstatic to hear Warren and Bobby will each make a full recovery. Would you recommend either of them for tonight's operations?"

"I most certainly would! I haven't been working on these for nothing." Forge inserted himself into the discussion, holding up a portion of battle gear for display that he and Hank had been working on together."

Charles and Hank both grinned before Hank pondered to himself for a moment and then replied. "I would not advocate against it, as they both appear to be healthy enough, be that as it may, ultimately, the decision should be rendered by the two of them."

Just as Charles went to offer his response, Hank saw a familiar face on the television screen and motioned for Charles to shift his attention. Charles turned to see a face he had not seen in twenty-seven years. It was the face of Bolivar Trask. The last time Charles saw this man, he attempted genocide on Mutants amid a debate between the two on the island of Genosha. Charles narrowly evaded disaster on that day. It was also the last time Charles saw his oldest friend.

"Good afternoon, I am Bolivar Trask, Founder, and CEO of Trask Enterprises. Some of you may be familiar with this Corporation, others maybe not. From this day forward, the world will know us as protectors. I am a long-time adversary to Mutantkind. This dates back to the '90s. The events that we were forced to witness last night were acts of terror. They were atrocious and horrifying to witness. The Avengers is one thing, but to have these Mutants, these physically, and genetically enhanced creatures running about terrorizing entire cities, all across the world is something I cannot… WILL not allow."

Charles took a deep breath and tilted his chin to his chest, but his eyes remained fixated on Trask.

"Today, in response to, not just yesterday's events, but the problem that I foresaw, some thirty years ago, Trask Industries proudly unveils, and presents to you…" Trask motioned with his hand and a video package began rolling on the monitors in the conference room, and the screen for those at home to view.

There was music playing, the kind you would hear in any old propaganda video. The first image on the screen was the smiling faces of Trask and his family standing in a warehouse surrounded by people in hard helmets working. As the camera panned backward, it became apparent that the Trasks were standing at the feet of an enormous robot. The robot had to be around twenty-five feet tall. Next, the video cut to various engineers and technicians shown working on the robot, and others like it.

Trask's voice-over began while the footage continued. "We just got our loved ones back. five years without our families was too long. We cannot just let these Mutants destroy the world and ruin everything we just got back. They have proven they are too dangerous for our everyday heroes." The video showed police and other first responders. "That's where we come in. Trask Industries is relaunching the Sentinel program. These Sentinels will protect you and your families from the monsters that have arisen in our world. State of the art technology, thirty years in the making. Mutant tracking capabilities. Sensors for recognizing mutants. Our Sentinels are armed and ready to stand guard so these Mutants cannot hurt anyone else, and we can take back our world!"

The video package ended, freezing on a close-up of a Sentinel's daunting face. The channel cut back to the cameras in the press conference. The media was buzzing as Trask made his leave and exited the stage. As the conference ended, and the news went to a commercial break, Forge shut off the television and looked to Charles with fear in his eyes.

Charles sat quietly another moment, before looking up to see the concerned faces of Hank and Forge both staring back at him. Charles tried his best to remain calm and confident, but anyone who truly knew him could see the doubt in his eyes.

"Today, the world needs us more than ever before, and to the world, we are nothing more than the enemy." Charles' eyes wandered the room. And then he turned his chair and exited, leaving Hank and Forge tense and anxious.

# _________________________________________

Later in the evening Scott sat in the hanger eagerly awaiting the rest of the team. The sooner they could get the mission debrief done, and get to Mutant Town, the better. Scott presented himself as strong, confident, and ready to take charge, but on the inside, he was a nervous wreck. He was petrified for the safety of Alex. Though he did manage to get a little bit of rest earlier in the day, it was not what most people would deem sufficient. He managed to get some sleep, though, he never made it out of that stage where you are still semi-conscious of the world. Therefore, his mind never truly shut off, and he was trapped in his wandering thoughts all day.

Jean and Bobby made their way through the mansion heading toward the hangar. Bobby was sporting a new buzzed haircut due to the tests that were run earlier in the day to verify his head was okay and he could participate in the mission.

Bobby looked up to Jean, viewing her as an older sister, and was grateful for her assistance in his quick recovery.

"You think the ladies will like my new buzz cut?" Bobby joked with a phony laugh.

"You sure that's who you're concerned about, Bobby?" Jean countered, with a knowing gaze.

Bobby halted in his tracks until Jean had gotten a few steps ahead of him. "Wait… what do you mean?"

Jean took one more step and turned around to answer Bobby's question, but her eyes looked past him as she saw Warren advancing in their direction on the same path as them. Jean admired Warren, mostly for his confidence, but his cut muscles, good looks, and beautiful angel's wings did not hurt either. She crushed on Warren, but her heart belonged to someone else… even if he did not know it.

Warren marched past the two, determined to rescue Alex, his closest friend of the bunch, and to get revenge for the damage done to his wing. Hank had cleared him for tonight's mission, with the warning that flying may be rather painful. When Hank operated on his wing, he applied "ethyl cyanoacrylate" to the wound to seal it and, hopefully, keep it from reopening. The movement of his fluttering wing could hinder that. Warren accepted the advice but made it known for certain, he would not be sitting this one out. His stoic demeanor and straight-faced mask cracked for just a moment as his blue eyes squinted and he granted Jean a half-smile through pursed lips, just before passing by. As he did, Jean's body unintentionally turned and watched as he went. After he turned the corner and was no longer in sight, Jean pivoted on her right foot back to face Bobby. The two shared a smile.

"What did you mean by what you said before?" Bobby inquired again.

Before Jean could answer this time, Forge appeared in the intersection of hallways ahead of them. He was pushing an industrial storage container on wheels. As he went by, he noticed the two of them standing in the perpendicular hall.

"Don't be late, got something to show ya!" Forge disclosed as he patted the container and kept ongoing.

"Come on!" Jean hollered as she, followed by Bobby, hustled down the hall to get to the hanger.

As they entered, they observed Scott standing in a one-man formation, off to his left stood Warren, arms folded across his chest with an eyebrow raised completely unimpressed by Scott, the boy scout. It was common for these two to share bitter and even resentful feelings towards each other. Both had the desire to be the alpha male, and both wanted to be the center of Jean's attention. To Warren's far left, was Forge. He had his container opened and turned towards him where no one else could see inside of it. Upon entering, Jean and Bobby went in separate directions. Jean shyly approached Scott. This was the first time she had seen him since they had returned from Mutant Town.

"Hey Scott, I… I appreciate you owning what happened last night. You didn't have to do that."

"I did have to do that, Jean. I am the leader of this team, and that is what a leader does. He takes responsibility." Scott retorted.

Jean pondered this for a moment. She agreed Scott had taken on the leadership role, but he was never officially given the title of leader.

Avoiding the argument, she decided to change the subject. "Well, thanks. I'm sorry Alex stayed behind."

"It's fine, according to the Professor, he is safe."

"But you're worried about him, and that's okay…"

"Jean, I said, 'It's fine!'" Scott snapped.

"Alright." Jean whimpered in return.

It broke her heart to see Scott so stoic, and, clearly, not fine. He had always been moderately straight-faced and military mannered, but not with her. If there was anyone on the team, anyone at all, in Scott's life that he would shut that off for, it was her. She turned and shuffled away, just as Professor Xavier and Hank entered the room.

"Gather around team," Charles ordered as he rolled to the approximate center of the gathering and then continued. "Tonight, the five of you will be performing rescue operations. This is not your training, this is real. With that said, this… is what you have been training for. You are prepared. Remember what you have learned, practice what you have studied. Alex is out there alone, surrounded by others just like all of you…" Charles trailed off, disappointed it was coming to this. He did not believe Mutants should be fighting other Mutants. They should be working together, in harmony.

Charles began again. "Be careful out there and look out for each other. Next, I would like to turn things over to Hank and Forge to present something they have been working on."

At that moment, Forge pushed his big container over to the group, and then met Hank to the side of it. Forge was excited about the contents of the box as he began.

"Team, Hank, and I have been working tirelessly to create something for all of you. Unfortunately, Alex is not here to receive his, but that is okay. He will get his when you return with him." Forge ended and returned to the opened side of the container as Hank began.

"Forge and I have examined all of you, including myself, during training sessions. We have identified all your strengths and flaws. Together, we have determined that your current equipment is not built to last, thus, it will not allow you the capability of performing at your utmost…"

Finally, Forge could not take it anymore and interjected. "So, we designed all of you new gear for out in the field!"

Forge pulled two outfits from the container and displays them for the team to see. Hank grinned at Forge's excitement and then began again. "Each of you will get a new uniform designed with your respective body types, gifts, and abilities in mind."

Everyone was ecstatic about this big reveal. Forge began handing each team member their new uniforms. Scott was the last to retrieve his, and even he could not help but smile as he took his brand-new uniform from Forge's container.

All five members of the team separated to get dressed into their new uniforms. Upon getting back to their respective rooms, they each found a pair of boots waiting at their door to go along with their new uniforms.

Jean was the first one back. As she reentered the hanger, Forge admired the uniform he, along with Hank, had designed for her. She wore a contoured, full-body, polythene-infused uniform. The body of the uniform was a darkened blue color. There was a dim golden design that started at the deltoids on her shoulders and then crossed diagonally to meet in the center of the chest and continued down to her belt line, doing the same on her back. At the center of the beltline was a circle of four triangles with rounded outside edges, all pointing inwards towards each other. Formed from the negative space in between these triangles was an 'X'. From her shoulders up her neckline was a high raised, rigid collar, to protect from attacks to the neck or throat. It could also serve as a bracing system in the event of a spinal injury. The collar was detailed in gold. Coming from under the collar was a dark blue material that continued up the perimeter of her face. Within, was technology that would allow her to harness her gifts, innovated by Charles and Hank in the '90s.

The sleeves continued down into golden military-grade forearm gauntlets, with three straps wrapping around the underside of her forearms with padding in the elbows. The bottom half of her uniform had padding in the hips, thighs, and knees. Her boots were the same color as the uniform itself which visually appeared as one piece of clothing. Just below the knee was a golden X that served to brace and as secondary support for her knees.

Next after her, Bobby entered. His uniform was designed much different, yet similar to Jeans. His also contoured to his upper body. The top was sleeveless but provided golden armor for his deltoids. Darkened blue padding for his traps and a medium raised collar with golden detailing and a V opening in the center. Progressing from the padding on his shoulders, was the same padding on his chest. At the center of his chest was the same 'X' emblem from the beltline of Jean's uniform. Starting below his chest was more golden armor for his sternum and stomach down to where his top met his bottoms.

His pants were more loose-fitting, like a soldier in the Army. However, the material was stronger, being infused with polythene bulletproof, in the same darkened blue color. The bottoms provided thigh and knee padding. His boots only went to just above his ankles. Also, the ankle-high boots and the pants were detailed in golden armor.

Next through the door was Warren. The only member of the team to have previously had a uniform, since he had been doing "super-hero" work before joining the team. This uniform was complimentary to his red uniform but designed far more superior and colored to match the team. The entire uniform was contoured to his body, which would provide better aerodynamics while flying. It started on his face, akin to Jeans, although his was just to keep his long hair out of his face. It progressed down enclosing and providing support for his neck. Then into the torso region, the entire uniform was made with the darkened blue polythene-infused material and golden armor detailed throughout. The top portion was sleeveless with golden deltoid protection. He had armored forearm and wrist gauntlets with black gloves. The bottoms provided hip, thigh, and knee support, so landings would be safer on his legs, and golden knee armor. At the beltline was the same 'X' symbol Jean and Bobby had. The darkened blue, knee-high boots were equipped with a golden 'X' below the knees for support.

Warren took to the air of the high-ceilinged hanger, despite warnings not to, just so he could show off. As he landed, he outstretched his wings as far as his wingspan would allow and looked over his new gear, then wing to wing, and finally looked at Jean offering her another smirk. To which her look of excitement for him turned to demure. While Jean knew he looked good, she also knew, that he knew it too, and found him to be rather conceded.

Before Warren could finish checking himself out, Hank made his way in the door. However, he was moving differently than usual. He decided that he would embrace what his critics always called him. He was moving more like a gorilla than a man. His full body contoured uniform fully covered his head, concealing his hair, and likely his identity as well. It only had openings for his eyes, his mouth, and chin. The head portion down his neck, shoulders, and sleeves was of the darkened blue padded, polythene-infused material, with gold armor on his deltoids and elbows. The sleeves stopped midway down his forearms leaving his hairy wrists and hands uncovered. Beginning on his chest was more golden armor that ran all way down his thighs. The bottom portion ceased just below his knees leaving his furry shins, ankles, and feet open, like his hands. He had golden armor on his thighs, knees, and hip support. Like the others, he had the 'X' symbol on his belt line.

Last and yet to return to the hanger was Scott. He walked through the corridors leading him there. Everything that led him to this moment was running through his mind. All the plane rides with his family until the accident that killed his parents and separated him from his brother. Living as a prisoner in the "care" of Mr. Millbury. Being taken in by Professor Xavier. All his training, education, and learning to master his gifts. Regaining his brother, but never regaining the closeness they had as children. And now he had left his brother behind again. Scott was ready to right all the wrongs, and he was ready to take down anyone who got into his way.

Scott had finally reached the entrance to the hanger. As he proceeded through the entryway, all eyes shifted to him. His new uniform, like Hank's, started at, and covered his entire head. The only part of his face showing was his chin. However, unlike Hank's, Scott's head portion was armored and not just a mask. He had a new golden visor over his eyes that connected into the rest of the headgear. His neck was completely enclosed and supported. The entire torso of the uniform was contoured to his thin, lean body type. The top was long sleeve and detailed with golden armor all over. He had golden gloves with hard knuckles for hand-to-hand combat situations. Around his waist, a gold belt, emanating from the belt up the left side of his torso was a utility belt running vertically up his body until it reached the top of his peck. From there a strap from the top and a strap from the side extended over both of his shoulders and connected in the posterior. No real purpose was to be served by this belt, but it looked very cool. At the meeting point of the straps, over his left peck, was a buckle with the very same 'X' symbol that, now, everyone shared on their uniforms. The bottom half of his uniform, like Bobby's, was a bit looser fitting. His pants gave him padding on his knees, and he wore intense, durable dark blue boots detailed with golden armor.

The team was all together, except one, and bearing new uniforms, that displayed the same symbol. They stood gathered, along with Forge and Charles, appreciating their new uniforms.

"YES!" Forge exclaimed, unable to hold back his excitement to see everyone in their new uniforms. The group all smiled, even Scott.

"I believe what he is trying to convey is, your attires look exceptional. I hope everyone is comfortable. As I said previously, Forge and I created these attires with each one of you and your unique circumstances in mind." Hank added.

"That sounds about right. Thanks, Hank. All your uniforms were designed by Hank and built by me with Hank's assistance. They are built with breathable, ultra- tactile, lightweight, quick-drying, synthetic leather, movement mirroring, expandable material. This material was infused with Polyethylene bulletproof."

"You mean, like, plastic?" Jean questioned.

"Exactly! Polyethylene is a stronger version of the plastic that is found in Tupperware. For the same weight, it is stronger than titanium, and it provides more protection than Kevlar, the current "top of the line "bulletproof." Forge elaborated.

Finally, Bobby asked the question they had all been wondering. "Why do we all have this symbol on our uniforms?"

"Glad you ask, Bobby." Charles acknowledged as he looked to Hank and Forge, and then back to the team collectively. "That is the symbol that will represent this team."

"So, we are going to wear your first initial on our uniforms?" Warren spouted out.

"You are not wrong, Warren. But there is another, more valid, reason."

"The X Gene" Scott proposed.

"Precisely!" Hank confirmed.

"The X gene is what brought all of us together. It is why we are all here. The X gene courses through all of us. It courses through Alex. And we cannot forget, it courses through the Morlocks too. They are not the enemy, they are just like us, only lost." Charles explained.

"Cool! So, we are the X-Men!... er… and woman? Sorry Jean" Bobby offered.

Laughing, Jean replied. "That name sounds great. The X gene is what makes us who we are, and what makes all of us the same.”

Finally, Charles amassed everyone's attention. "You are a team. Remember that when you are out there. Watch each other and protect each other." Charles paused for a moment looking at the faces of his students. His eyes began to well up. "Tonight's operation will be demanding. Do not forget you have each other. You all have overcome so much up to this moment and have exercised for these situations. This is not at all how I ever envisioned your training would culminate, but this is the hand we have been dealt." Charles paused again, first looking towards Scott with a look of concern, and then turning towards Hank as he adjusted his expression to reflect his certainty. "Tonight's field leader will be Hank." Bobby and Jean shared a look in shock as they both swung their heads to see Scott's reaction. He was the usual field leader during training exercises. Even Warren was a bit surprised by this declaration. "Hank and I have already discussed this. He suggested otherwise, but I persisted. Hank has the most experience in training, and I feel he will provide the strongest leadership for tonight's operation."

Scott bit the inside of his lip to refrain from speaking his displeasure towards this decision. It was nothing personal towards Hank, but Scott, like the rest of the team, recognized that he was supposed to be the leader of the team. Scott felt insulted. They did not even prepare him for that announcement beforehand. As Charles finished speaking, Scott turned and walked to the X Jet ahead of the others. He got to the front and took a seat in the co-pilot's seat.

A moment later, the other four boarded the Jet. The others buckled into the bench seating along the walls. Jean and Bobby on one side, Warren on the other. Hank took the pilot's seat next to Scott. He sat down and the two began flipping the switches for startup. Hank froze for a moment and looked to his co-pilot. "Scott, I am sorry. I recommended you for Field Leader to Char…"

"Hank, it is fine!" Scott interrupted with the same dismissal tone he offered Jean previously. "Now let's go get my brother."

# _________________________________________

A huge ruckus was happening outside jolted Alex awake. As he lifted himself to a seated position, he felt a massive pain in his neck. His makeshift pillow had been knocked away and he laid on his side with his neck tilted uncomfortably. He grabbed at his neck as he rotated his head around trying to loosen up. Then he heard another loud crash followed by voices. It was the Morlocks. He was not sure if they knew he was there. Or if they were just out. He thought to himself that now was an odd time to just be out on a destruction filled walk after they had gotten their asses kicked just before the sun came up.

Alex slid the partition open and peeked out, through the windshield. He noticed first that he had slept most of the day away, it was nearly sunset. As he peered around, he watched as a car went soaring through the air and crashed into what used to be a storefront. He swung his head to find the source, in doing so he winced a bit from his stiff neck. He noticed one of the men from that morning's fight. He was an exceptionally large, bald man. He wore a green jacket with the sleeves cut off, and a raggedy white V-neck underneath. Near him was the woman he had gone toe to toe with in a fistfight, as well as one other person he had not seen before, this man had pale blue skin and long dark hair. He wore a ripped-up shirt and overalls with only one strap done.

The unknown blue guy spoke to the woman who could force bones through her skin in a creepy, crackling voice. "You saw one of them go this way?"

The large man then spoke with a very deep voice. "Marrow, why didn't he just leave with the others?"

Marrow spun and looked at both men. "Yes Tar, he went this direction… He was trying to hold us off while the others escaped, Sunder." She was clearly irritated they were questioning her.

Sunder punched the closest object to him, it was a postal service snorkel, the bolts ripped right out of the ground and the mailbox shot into the air, straight towards Alex before crashing into the passenger side of the windshield of his hiding place. Alex quickly slammed the partition shut as he backed up and fell to his butt. He could hear Sunder hollering about something outside. Alex continued to sit there, just listening, very spooked they may be onto him. Just as he began to raise to his feet something else crashed into the side of the truck causing the whole truck to rock. This caused him to lose his balance and fall through the partition nearly crashing into the mailbox that was sticking through the windshield. As he laid there on his belly with his face mashed into the seatbelt eject button, he once again remained still, to not be heard, and so that he could listen.

After a moment or two, he figured they were gone and began to push up to get back onto his feet. As he did, he noticed a flash of movement out of the windshield. He immediately dropped back down into a front-leaning rest position. Then he heard a noise from the driver's side door and swung his head to see as a green face with dark eyes went out of sight. Quickly, Alex decided he had been found and that he needed to do something. He jumped to his feet, rose his arms aimed towards the driver's side of the vehicle, and blasted a hole in the wall of his hiding place. As he began to exit through his new hole, he looked up to several faces staring at him from only about twenty feet away.

Alex's eyes widened as he gazed upon all of them. He recognized some of them. There was the large bald man, whom he had gathered went by the name of Sunder. Then he saw the woman he fought previously, Marrow. Next to her, was the man with blue-grey skin. Aside from those three, he had never seen any of the others that stood before him. There was a man with a long brown cloak and a hood to mask his face an older woman with a blue sock cap on her head with long grey hair hanging to her red leather jacket. Just behind her was a bald black man, also wearing a red jacket. The side of his face looked like he had been shot by a shotgun, however instead of blood and guts, his face was shattered like a broken car windshield.

Alex sized them all up, and then looked Marrow in the eyes and challenged. "Round two then?"

He then hopped to the ground and held out his hands to blast the group, but just as he did, from under the semi a small, green-skinned boy reached out and grabbed a hold of his ankle. Alex did not feel the touch but was unable to blast the group as intended. He stood there with his arms outstretched, looking like an idiot. The woman in the red leather jacket cleared her throat to get his attention. When he looked at her, she motioned to the ground underneath of him, as he looked down, the boy released his ankle and waved as he flashed him a coy smile. Alex hopped aside and went to blast the kid but as he stuck his arm out, from above him on top of the semi, something long, green, and slimy wrapped around his wrist. Alex frantically looked up and saw the source of the slimy restraint. Alex recognized this creature from peaking at him through the truck windshield. Then he realized that this was an exceptionally long tongue wrapped around his wrist.

He let out a disgusted groan before hearing Marrow call out. "Toad, now!"

Alex looked towards her and then back to the creature restraining him, just in time to see him leap from the top of the truck and using his tongue to pull himself towards Alex and collide on top of him with a crash.

This attack knocked Alex to the ground. Before he could move, the grey-skinned man stood over him and grabbed both of his hands and trapped them together, with tar that came from his hands. Alex tried kicking them away and then getting to his feet, but he was met by Sunder's fist colliding with his face and knocking him unconscious.

# _________________________________________

"Senator Kelly of New York has declared that he is deploying the recently unveiled Trask Enterprise's Sentinels to Mutant Town." Reported the news as Forge watched on. He instantly thought of the team, whom were currently en route to Mutant Town.

Forge grabbed his desk phone and dialed a number quickly, before raising the phone to his ear. "Charles, they are deploying those Sentinel to Mutant Town!"

Charles thanked Forge for the update and hung up the phone. Charles made his way to the Institutes conference room, where he could make radio communications with the X- Jet. With a few taps on the screen, he was able to speak to the team.

"X- Jet this is the Professor."

"Go for X-Jet." Replied Scott from the co-pilot's seat.

"The Senator of New York is deploying enormous, Mutant hunting robots to Mutant Town. You must act fast. The team needs to locate and rescue Alex and exit with great haste."

"Copy that Professor. We do not intend to waste any time once boots are on the ground. Thanks for the update."

Scott ended the transmission and glanced over to Hank, whom he could tell was visibly shaken by the Professors words.

Before Scott could speak, Hank began "Mutant poaching robots. The Professor and I have seen these in the past. They were present during the Mutant debate in 1996. He is correct, if those machines are headed for us, then we must not waste any time." Hank paused a moment, then looked toward Scott. "We are approximately five minutes out, begin preparations for landing."

The faces of everyone aboard expressed anxiety. Jean and Bobby both wore faces of fear. They knew this would be the toughest test they ever faced. Surprisingly, Warren's confidence seemed to be slipping a bit as well. He had the most real-world experience of anyone on the team, but nothing like this. His damaged wing could also be factoring into his shaken confidence. Finally, a look at the face of Scott. If he was scared, he was not allowing his face to show it. He looked more determined than ever. He had everything to lose, or everything to gain in the mission. His brother was out there alone, and deep down he resented not being named the field leader for the mission. That which brought fear to the other four was motivating Scott.

PART 3:

Genosha

"As I traveled, stowed away within the cargo on the plane, I could not have been more pleased with myself for successfully boarding the plane, but god was that flight miserable. Eight plus hours laying atop some storage containers filled with supplies for the citizens of Genosha.

After the back wall of the cargo plane lowered and became a ramp for transferring the plane's contents offboard and onto tractor-trailers, I used my power to nearly knock over a crane that was loaded with a shipping container. It was the only way I could get the flight crew and the ground crew to look away while I exited the plane and figured out where to go next. Hopefully, my little distraction did not cause too much damage.

While waiting to find my way out of the cargo depot, hidden among shipping containers and conexs, I became lost in thoughts of my journey. I thought about why I left England to start the journey, to begin with. In my file that my parents… My adopted parents kept; it read that I came from an adoption center in Romania. Even now, I am still trying to comprehend my findings while in Romania…"

***

When she reached the adoption agency in Romania. It was boarded shut. It appeared it had not been open for years. She could feel a tear run down her face. She had traveled so far only to be rejected by the agency no longer being open. Unexpectedly, with the clench of her fist, a streetlamp illuminating the street in front of the adoption center snapped in half and the top portion crashed to the ground with a loud sound of glass shattering followed immediately by the sound of metal slamming onto concrete. She had not intended for that to happen, but she was not sorry for it either. She was determined. She thought to herself, there must be someone around, someone, anyone who knows anything. She started investigating around the outside of the building.

Around back she found some stairs going down to a basement level door. She looked around a little bit and then proceeded down them. The door was deadbolted shut. However, this was no problem for her. With the slight movement of her fingers, the locking mechanism turned, and the door was open for passage. She grabbed the doorknob, turned, and opened the door, as she peered inside. At first glance, it was clear this basement had seen better days. There were filing cabinets all over the place. Some upright, some knocked over, some with drawers opened and files laying scattered about all over the filthy floor. There was water damage in the beams of the ceiling and moisture on the floor.

Hoping that one of those files could contain information on her, she reluctantly stepped through the door into the humid, dark basement. As she walked across the room, she could feel her anxiety building, like the weight of the world was placed onto her chest, along with the sense of being overwhelmed in her mind. She was not unfamiliar with feeling this way. In fact, since the day of the airplane crash, she had felt this way most of the time. The familiarity did not make it any easier to deal with. She stood halfway through the room, slowly turning in circles trying to determine where to begin the doomed to be a lengthy and wretched process.

Her big eyes peered around the room, while her hand rested on her forehead before her fingers slithered through her emerald-colored hair, over and over. She sank to a crouched position as she squeezed her eyes shut and then hid her face in the palms of her hands. The fingers of both of her hands glided through her hair once more as she took a few deep breaths. Breathing in deeply through her nose and exhaling slowly through pursed lips.

"I can handle this." She stated to herself out loud as she rose back to a standing upright position. "Who I am… is in this room. Maybe even my birth Mother's name… Or where the hell she went."

She inhaled through her nose as deeply as she could, one last time while her eyes darted around inspecting the mess that was in front of her, and then exhaled.

"Alright." She muttered as her arms rose in front of her just a bit more than shoulder length apart. Her fingers began twitching and shifting sporadically. All the filing cabinets progressed from their places, scattered around the room, into a single file line in the center of the room before her. Her face was much less stressed and more resolute than before, as she got to work.

One by one she began searching through each drawer of the filing cabinets. Her powers were of no use for this task. Her ability to control metals was useless when it came to searching through documents printed on paper. She spent hours going through the filing cabinets, drawer by drawer. As each cabinet was completed in its entirety, she would launch it across the room crashing into the walls, with the snap of her fingers. Finally, after searching through four and a half filing cabinets, she came across a file titled "1990's Transfers - America". She became excited. She was sure this file had to mention her. She was born in 1989, this folder had to contain information about her. 

Before she began, with the movement of her hand, she slid one of the previously thrown cabinets back over to her, to serve as a bench. She took a seat on the side of it, and then another slid across the floor into position in front of her to serve a desk. As she thumbed through the thin file, she began noticing that there were baby photos paperclipped to most of the documents about each child. If it was a photo of a boy, the file was tossed aside, photos of girls were set down in front of her in a neat stack, and if there was no photo, she made another pile off to the side, just in case. She started with the pile containing female photos. It was in alphabetical order as she began to read the names out loud.

"Amalia, Constanta, Cristina, Ecaterina, Florina, Livia, Magdali…" She trailed off and came to a pause. Her eyes squinted as she expressed confusion.

She passed the "Ls" and had not seen her name. She thumbed through the first seven once more and still did not see it. She stood up, still holding the first seven names as a revelation hit. Her already big eyes grew wider.

"Of course, I didn't receive my name until I was adopted!"

With that, she tossed down the folder and grabbed the edge of her leather jacket and held it open as she reached for and unzipped a custom pocket she had added to the inside of her jacket. She then reached inside and pulled out the file she already had from the adoption center in California.

She sat back down opening this file over the others on her makeshift filing cabinet desk. After only a few seconds of skimming, she had found something she never paid attention to before. She poked it with her index finger and shrieked before exclaiming it out loud. "Babygirl, Magdalina!".

Her eyes began to well up, she could not believe she had never noticed that in just the first few lines of the entire file before. Of course, she never really read it before either. Up until recently, she had just wanted to run from her past. She picked up the first folder and found her name again. "Magdalina".

Tossing aside the other girl's files, she first looked at her baby photo. It was not like the other baby photos. All the others were complete photos, but hers was cropped to the outline of her little baby body. Upon further inspection, she saw another baby's hand in the photo that could not be cropped out without cutting into her torso. She took the photo and set it on her other file and then began reading.

She spent a few minutes studying the pages. She was unable to read any of it, for it was all typed in Romanian. But she was pleased to have found another piece of her puzzle, nonetheless. She had to know what it said. She gathered everything she needed and left through the door which she entered. She walked up the stairs, back around the perimeter of the abandoned building, and out onto the sidewalk.

She saw a man riding his bicycle down the street and called to him. "Hello, do you speak English?"

The man slowed down to a stop just before her and nodded, as he spoke. "I speak little."

She smiled at him as she pulled out the file "Can you read this section for me?" She inquired as she pointed to the top few lines.

He began reading it and then translated as best he could, "Three babies found… February 26th, 1989… abandoned triplets… Two baby girls, and one baby boy…

***

"I seriously needed to get out of that depot. I scouted it out for almost an hour, watching as the security gate opened and closed. I came this far; I was not going to let that gate and all those people who work there stand in my way…

'Who the hell are you?' Screamed a guardsman from the ground with his pistol aimed at me. A million things rushed through my mind. How was I going to get myself out of this one? Before I can come up with an excuse, he was yelling again. 'Get down from there! How did you get here?'

I did a push up from my former position laying on my belly and then rose to my feet. I bit the inside of my cheek as I made direct eye contact with the man and then began climbing down the side of the storage conex.

‘Tell me who you are! What are you doing here?' He demanded.

'I will gladly explain… if you remove that gun from my face.' I told him.

'Not gonna happen lady.'

'Fine…' I stated with a smirk as I removed the gun from his hands with the twitch of a couple of fingers.

'I am a Mutant. Is this not the great Genosha that was founded in the '90s on the grounds of being a safe haven for people like me?'

'The man put his hands in the air and began backing away with a dreadful look of fear on his face, "Please don't hurt me. I am only doing my job!'

'Who is in charge of Genosha?'

'Fabian Cortez.'

'How do I meet him?'

'No one goes near him. When in public, he always has his Acolytes with him.'

'Acolytes? Pfft. And what happened to the founder of this Genosha, Mag…'

'Shhhh. No one says that name anymore. Not since he stepped down as the leader of Genosha. After the '96 debate, he disappeared. After a brief time without a leader, Cortez, a former member of the Creator's council explained to us that he used to be a follower as well, but now he was the successor to the throne. As for the Acolytes, they are a group that Fabian created. They idolized the Creator.'

'The Creator? That's what you guys call him? What is going on here? Wait, don't answer that. One last question. What happened to The Creator? Did he die?'

'No one has seen him in almost thirty years. Some speculate that he lost his powers and that is the true reason why he left. The rumor is that he now lives in the Ridgeback Mountains up north.'

** Chapter III**

Alex jolted awake, once again, from the state of unconsciousness he entered upon being punched in the face by the massive hand of Sunder. His face hurt, his head was pounding, and he felt like his neck must have been broken from the blow. He lifted himself to a seated position from the supine one he was left in, with his hands. As he did this, he realized two things. One, this put a tremendous amount of pain on his neck. And two, he was in about a half-inch of filthy, putrid water. It was all over the backside of him.

As he sat there covered in grime, he began looking around the room he was in. It was a makeshift prison cell. It was a small room with rebar and other repurposed metals piled up, floor to ceiling, trapping him into one corner of the room. The walls were dark, old, and musty. As he turned his entire body to observe more of the room, he noticed two men trapped in the corner on the other side of the small room, only six or seven feet away, in the same type of confinement as him. In the spur of a moment, it struck him, and he fought through the pain that radiated through his body so he could hastily roll over to his knees and get a better look at them.

"Are you the guys from the News chopper?" He questioned. "And are you alright?"

The two of them had been sitting on the disgusting ground, up against the slimy walls, having given up hope of survival a day ago.

Upon hearing Alex, call out, one of them hopped to his feet with an answer.

"Yes, we are! And yeah, we aren't hurt too bad." He answered as he touched a cut obviously in need of stitches on his cheek. And his friend's leg was too damaged to stand, himself. "After they ambushed us, they brought us down here." The man continued.

"Down here?"

"Yeah, we are in the Staten Island sewer system. Those monsters live down here."

"Good to know. My team will be back to rescue us. We were here to recover you two when they ambushed us. My team fell back while I stayed to fight." Grabbing at the back of his neck, Alex paused. "There numbers were too great for me alone. Things will be different when they come back though, we will finish them all off if we have to."

"Let us hope it does not come to that." A new voice joined the conversation. It was the woman with the mohawk who caused the storm the previous evening. She was dressed like she was in a punk band. She wore a black leather vest over a black tank top. Black skintight pants tucked into knee-high black leather boots. She wore black gloves on her hands. A studded collar around her neck. And finally, golden yellow lightning bolt earrings.

Upon her entry, Alex leaped to his feet and held out his hands in her direction to unleash beams of cosmic energy at her, but nothing happened. He turned his hands towards himself. "What?" he murmured, with uncertainty why his gifts were not working.

"Save your energy, Sadiq. With Leech stationed so close to you, your powers are null and void." She informed as she held out her hand presenting a small boy with amphibious textured, green skin, sitting in a chair, along the wall next to Alex's confinement on the far side of the room from where the news workers were kept. Alex recognized him from moments before his capture.

Alex felt foolish for having been unaware of Leech's presence. After having his attention drawn to the boy, Alex could not help but stare. He had never seen a person who looked like that. Then again, Alex had seen a lot of things for the first time in the last day.

Finally, he broke his glare and looked back at the woman. "What do you mean? If you don't want a fight, then why are you doing this to us?"

"This was not my decision. And this is not how I would choose to handle our conflict None of this has been." She responded with a noticeable accent.

Alex observed the expression on her face as she spoke. He could recognize the depression she was afflicted by. He had seen that emotion before.

"Ororo! I'd like to have a word with you." Came a demand from the doorway to the small room. Alex looked over just in time to see the side of the demander's face as she left the room. It was Callisto, the lady in charge of his and the other's abductors.

As soon as Ororo stepped through the doorway and into the main commons area of the Morlocks, she was met with aggression from Callisto. "Tell me, do we have a problem?" She challenged.

The look on Ororo's face appeared unfazed. Before she could answer, Callisto swung her arm back and then forward, her hand connected with Ororo's face with a vicious slap. Ororo quickly touched the pain on her face.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Callisto screamed again as she began to point towards the room with the prisoners. Do you think those people were put in there to be your friends? Do you think I put them in there for you to chat with?"

Many of the Morlocks were doing their best at this point not to watch, some even removing themselves from the room, but all of them were listening intently to what was going on.

"They are in there to serve as an example! An example to the entire world that we are not to be messed with!" Callisto continued. "We conquered all of the other Mutant factions that laid claim to our town…"

"It doesn't have to be this way." Ororo cried out in interruption. "We do not have to divide ourselves like th…" Before Ororo could finish, she was interrupted by more slaps from the hand of Callisto.

This time it was three in quick succession. Though only two connected with Ororo's face. She got her shoulder up and ducked down out of instinct to protect herself before the third one connected.

Callisto shook her head and then grabbed ahold of her own greasy hair for a moment as she turned in a circle trying to maintain her composure. She grabbed ahold of Ororo's chin and lifted her face forcing her to make eye contact. "Have you forgotten your place? Have you forgotten what this was all about?" Callisto questioned, finally releasing Ororo's face.

"After the Blip, the existing Mutant population, the ones who called New York home, but had to hide, emerged. We emerged! We turned Staten Island into our own paradise. And then, when the blip was undone by those damn Avengers, everything changed. Humans began appearing in our homes. Then the whole world felt they needed to get involved in Mutant affairs. They dubbed this place, "Mutant Town". Not only that, but other Mutant factions started warring with each other. So, us Morlocks returned underground."

Callisto paused a moment, looking around the room at those who hadn't gotten up and left and then in a much calmer tone continued. "Ororo, we didn't ask for this! We didn't choose to live in the sewers, and I hope that we won't for much longer, now that we have conquered the other factions. We didn't divide ourselves. We stuck together. Together against those that opposed us, human or Mutant. And we have welcomed those that needed a place to go. Look at yourself, we took you in, we gave you somewhere to go, we gave you food, we gave you family."

She pointed to all the others around.

"This is my family, Ororo."

Callisto defiantly finished her spiel and glared at Ororo a moment. Ororo only held eye contact for a moment before her eyes darted away. Callisto continued her glare a few seconds longer, regrowing with frustration towards Ororo.

"Say something." Callisto demanded.

At that moment Ororo's eyes met Callisto's, and in the next moment they were gone again, and Callisto went off. "Say something damnit!"

Callisto grabbed Ororo's hair and pushed her into the concrete wall with aggression, and then placed her forehead to Ororo's combatively.

"If you have a problem with me then say it! If you think you can lead my Morlock's better than me, if you think you know what's best for them, and can lead them better than me, then go ahead and do it!"

Callisto released Ororo's hair and stepped back. "But I will be damned…" She pointed at herself. "…if you think I am just going to hand that authority over to you! You want my spot, then go ahead and try and take it!"

Callisto stood there, steaming. From across the dark, dirty room, her shoulders could visibly be seen her moving up and down with each breath she took. The scowl on her face was enough to kill a man. Maybe that was the point.

"Callisto, Callisto!" Hollered a pale, short, chubby man with yellow eyes as he frantically ran to Callisto.

"What is it, Mole?"

"Caliban sent me! He says they are here. He told me to tell you they have returned. They are on the surface!" Informed the Mutant.

Callisto's anger turned to determination as she looked around the room. "My Morlocks! The enemy has returned. You all know what to do!" She commanded.

She looked to the woman Alex had fought in hand-to-hand combat the previous day. "Marrow, you watch the prisoners of war!"

"You got it, Ma." Marrow acknowledged.

As she walked across the room towards the prisoner’s room, she stopped to give Ororo a face-to-face look of disgust. While doing so, she held up her fist in front of her and a meter long-pointed bone pierced through her forearm. She reached and grabbed ahold of it with her other hand as she arrogantly smirked, and strutted away into the next room.

Callisto, having witnessed the confrontation spoke once more, "Ororo, you're coming with me!"

# _________________________________________

As the team exited the X-Jet, Hank, being the micromanaging type of leader, did one more comms check, on top of the numerous times they had already done it. He also quadruple-checked the team knew the plan in case they got split up.

While Hank was in the middle of another gear inspection, Bobby noticed the air beginning to cool down dramatically. "Guys, I think the temperature is beginning to drop, quick."

Before anyone could reply, there was a deafening crack of thunder, and then as if the skies opened, and rain started pouring down, like a monsoon. Certainly, the heaviest rainfall any of the team had ever seen.

Hank looked around. "This rain was not in the forecast. Most certainly unexpected."

"Something isn't right here, this isn't natural." Jean detected and shared. It was like the rain was steadily getting harder and harder. The team could hardly see each other as they stood only feet apart. Thunder continuously rumbled in the sky, and lightning bolts kept on striking close by. The temperature that had been in the eighties when they exited the jet, was pushing the low fifties.

The team was completely soaking wet from the heavy downpour. Fortunately, their new gear was weather-resistant, but their vision was still minimal between the dark evening and the rainfall. Suddenly, a gunshot went off, nearly hitting Scott.

"Two O'clock!" Scott shouted, announcing the direction the sound came from, as he turned and let out a quick optic blast, cutting through the roof of a nearby apartment building.

Abruptly, the torrential downpour they had been standing in ceased to a mere drizzle. And then from the same rooftop that Scott had blasted moments before rose Callisto, carrying a sniper rifle in her right hand. Scott's optic blast missed her by less than ten feet.

She was standing atop the ledge of the building, as she hollered out to the team. "Is there something we can help you with? I thought we ran you off once already."

Hank began to respond. "Ma'am we only seek to recover our friend, and…"

"Where is my Brother!" Scott interjected as he stepped ahead of the group in Callisto's direction, ready to send another blast her way.

Callisto began to snicker at the revelation Scott just provided her with. "We have your Brother, do we? Well, you should have stayed out of my family's business, and your family would be safe. My Morlocks will handle you from here!" And then she dropped from the ledge back onto the roof and disappeared.

Just then, the rain picked up once more. The team positioned themselves with all their backs facing inward towards each other, prepared for combat if necessary.

"Alright, team. I had hoped this mission would not get out of hand, although the violence was to be anticipated, nonetheless." Hank said to the team whilst stalling to come up with a plan.

"What do you want us to do?" Inquired Bobby.

"I will circle over the building to try and spot, ol' eye patch." Warren notified as he took to the air heading for the building Callisto had been on top of.

With Warren's exit from the back-to-back formation, the others in the group closed in naturally to not leave anyone unprotected.

As Warren neared the roof of the building, the Morlock known as Toad leaped out of an open window and collided with Warren midair sending the two plummeting towards the ground.

"Warren!" Jean squealed.

Scott instantly shot a sour look towards Jean. His first thought, while Warren is a member of the team and deep-down cares about him, he hated the idea that Jean would be concerned for him. Then in his next thought, Scott reached over and pat Bobby on the chest as he took off running in the direction of Warren and his attacker, leaving Jean and Hank to maintain their defensive position.

Scott raised a hand to his visor to fire an optic blast but could not get a clear shot with Toad on top of Warren. The assailant hopped off and dragged Warren out of sight with his long tongue. As Scott and Bobby approached the front of the building, an industrial-sized kitchen sink exploded through the front window of the building crashing into the ground and flipping sideways before smashing into Scott, sending him to the ground.

"No!" Cried out Jean. "Hank, Scott is down." Jean continued as she ran for him with Hank following behind her.

"Bobby, locate Warren, I will assess Scott." Hank ordered as he hustled quadrupedally over. By the time he reached Scott, he noticed Sunder, one of the largest men he had ever seen exiting through the new hole in the building.

"I suppose you are responsible for this botched delivery?" Hank asked rhetorically.

Sunder grinned, flashing his mouth of rotten teeth as he began towards Hank. Bobby tried to get in his way but was swatted away with ease by the enormous backhand of the large Mutant.

"It is clear to me that your practice in proper dental hygiene is as exceptional as your delivery methods. Oh well." Hank taunted.

"Jean, review Scott's health!" Hank directed.

Hank usually the pacifist by choice, reluctantly bounded toward the large, large man. As the two, three hundred and fifty plus pounders slammed into each other neither was willing to budge an inch.

Bobby got back to his feet, but before he could offer any assistance, the purple guy with the blades of light coming from his forearms came from the alley next to the building. He had Bobby in his sights, Bobby did the best he could to dodge the man's attempts at cutting him in half.

Jean kneeled over Scott, trying to wake him from the knockout blow he had just received.

"Scott, please wake up! Please, we need you." She pleaded for him to awaken.

"Maybe he could use an AED." Offered a sarcastic voice.

Jean shot up and spun around into a defensive stance to see the white-haired young woman with electricity emanating from her eyes, she had encountered before. Before Jean could react though, the woman already standing ready, with her hands out sent an electrical blast at Jean. Jean's body convulsed for a second before stiffening up and in an instant, Jean collapsed on the ground next to Scott.

"Hmm, maybe you could too? If only I knew where to find such a thing. Sorry, not sorry." The woman said as she stood innocently over Jean's lifeless body.

"Great job, Eve" Applauded the large black man with the spider web cracks in the side of his face as he approached and gave her a side hug, and the two kissed.

"Well thank you, Shatter. I told you I could handle her on my own, baby."

Shatter smiled at her as he marched towards Hank, who was now on Sunder's back with him in a sleeper hold. He grabbed onto the back of Hank and ripped him down. Hank landed on his feet and spun to face the new attacker but was met with a punch that almost knocked him from his feet. He was able to catch himself, only to take a massive clubbing shot across the back from Sunder. Together Sunder and Shatter took Hank down to the ground. Though this was not enough for the two.

"Get him up!" Shouted Shatter as Sunder grabbed the back of Hank's collar and stood him upright so that Shatter could deliver more punishment.

He started with a few body shots before pausing a moment and then slamming his face into Hank's with a ferocious head butt. Shatter's forehead looked like a broken windshield. Hank's looked like his face just met a windshield. Blood poured from his, very, broken nose. Hank began coughing, most likely choking on the blood that was running down his throat from his nose.

Bobby was still trying to defend himself from the ambush by the man with blades of light. Ice shield after ice shield and the blades were cutting right through them, shattering them on contact. Bobby moved in reverse as the man advanced on him. Moving backward he was unable to see where the sidewalk ceased to make way for a driveway entrance for entering the alleyway.

Bobby's heel slipped off and he fell to a seated posture. He tried to continue crab-walking backward with his hands pulling and his feet kicking, scooting on his butt. Bobby had run out of defensive maneuvers.

"Listen, man, we aren't here to fight you guys. We just want our friend back!" Bobby explained.

The man stood over Bobby with light blades drawn from both arms. He squinted his eyes at Bobby. "I am not your man. I'm not anybody's man."

Bobby noticed something of an effeminate inflection in his voice.

No one’s man continued "You want yo' friend back? Well, we want peace. We can't all have what we want, can we?"

He drew back with both his arms ready to lunge into Bobby.

Suddenly, from within the alley, came Angel. He soared out, carrying Toad by the collar of his shirt like a bully demanding lunch money from his victim. Bobby's assailant recognized this and withdrew his blades just in time for Angel to eject Toad right into him, sending both of them crashing into the street. Next, Angel ascended high into the air, and then went into a nosedive with both of his wings tucked back. He was headed straight for Shatter and Sunder. At the very last moment, he adjusted his body and connected with a flying kick straight to the already cracked face of Shatter.

Angel hovered to his feet raising his hands challengingly to Sunder, as he motioned with his hands. "Bring it, big man!"

Sunder threw a series of punches. All of which were knocked away by Angel's wings. Finally, Angel leaped into the air and used his wings to pull himself in fast, as he delivered a knee to Sunder's face. After stepping back to maintain balance, Sunder touched his face checking for blood, there was none.

He looked at Angel and shrugged. "Tough skin."

Angel was briefly bewildered at the lack of effectiveness of his attack.

"Warren!" Hank cried out from his still grounded position, as he pointed warningly to Eve who had her arms outstretched ready to unleash a surge of electricity at Angel.

Before she could, Angel looked back to Sunder and shrugged his shoulders, making an apologetic face, before running straight at him and connecting with a punt kick straight to the nuts. This was more effective than anything else so far. But Angel did not stop there. With Sunder temporarily impaired he hovered into the air and connected with an enziguri kick to the side of Sunder's face. Between the strike to his midsection and the power in Angel's kick, this caused him to spin, spitting blood from his mouth, just as Eve directed her electric blast. Like Jean before him, Sunder began convulsing before stiffening up and tipping straight over, face first, landing perpendicular over Shatter on the ground.

Eve immediately pulled back and then readjusted for fire with no one else standing between her and Angel. Just as the electricity began to emerge from her fingertips, her hands began to lock up, and freeze. Next, her arms, shoulders, and before long her entire body was frozen completely solid. Before she could unleash her electricity on Angel, Bobby intervened, putting her on ice.

The purple guy and Toad recognized the numbers were not in their favor anymore, and the element of surprise had ended. They regrouped and made a run for it.

"I had it under control, Snowball!" Angel said without a hint of gratuity.

"I believe ‘Thank you’ is what you meant to say." Bobby responded with displeasure.

Hank finally made it back to his feet. Blood continued to drip from his nose. Using his thumb and index finger he grabbed ahold of the bridge of his nose and applied pressure, popping his nose back into place. His eyes squeezed shut as he winced at the pain of it. After his eyes reopened, he scrunched his face up and cleared his throat before turning away from Bobby and Angel to coyly spit blood from his mouth.

Finally, having sorted himself all out, he walked to Scott and Jean who had still not returned to their feet. Warren swiftly hovered from his position to theirs as well. He landed just short of Scott and looked down on him. Scott was conscious now but had not yet regained his composure. Warren shook his head in disgust as he rolled his eyes and stepped over Scott to approach Jean.

It was not until Angel stepped over him and kneeled next to Jean that Scott even realized Jean was on the ground next to him. With this revelation, his bearings came back almost instantly, and he lifted himself to his feet so he could tend to her also.

"You had one job, boy scout. You couldn't even protect her?" Warren ridiculed.

"Jean doesn't need my protection. Not to mention we were both coming to your aid…"

"Blah blah blah. Who just saved all five of us? That would be me." Angel interrupted. "You should just go wait on the jet and practice your knot tying. The rest of us can handle this."

Scott began to ball up his fist ready to punch Warren in the mouth.

"Enough!" Shouted Hank as he approached.

He kneeled and held his index and middle fingers together on Jean's neck feeling for a pulse. "The irregular beat would suggest, Jean has an arrhythmia." Hank pondered out loud as he got back to his feet, crossing his left arm over his chest, and bringing his right hand to his chin in thought.

"I think that we should retreat." Suggested Bobby, visibly shaken by the brawl that just took place. He stood there looking at Jean's unconscious body lying on the ground, completely helpless to do anything.

"NO!" shouted both Scott and Warren. Neither of them wanted to leave this mission and not rescue Alex. He is Scott's brother, and Warren's best friend.

Warren looked at Scott in pure confusion. "What does it even matter to you? You're a pro at leaving him behind, aren't you?"

Scott did not waste time with words this time around. He immediately shoved Warren. Warren fired back with a shove of his own. Before either of them could continue, Hank intervened, grabbing each of them by the throat and forcing them away from each other as far as his arms could reach.

"I said, enough!" Hank demanded. "Now, if the two of you can be trusted to cease with your quarrels, I have an idea."

With that, Hank released both. They continued to glare at each other for a moment, while Hank went back to Jean's side. "Bobby, you are invaluable for this task." Hank informed as he pushed Jean's wet hair away from her face and neck.

"Me? Sure, I'll do anything I can to help!" Bobby enthusiastically responded thinking maybe he was not helpless after all.

"Bobby, I want you to place both of your hands onto her neck." Instructed Hank.

Scott stood watching, waiting to see where this was going with both of his hands on his hips. Warren stood with his arms folded across his chest watching as well. Bobby did as Hank instructed.

"Now, I need for you to engage your gifts gradually. If you generate too much chill, too hastily, you could kill her." Hank continued and warned.

At the sound of that word Bobby's eyes widened and he pulled his hands away from her in an instant.

"It will be alright, Bobby. You are prepared for this. I have observed you grow with your unique power set. You will do fine. Jean will be fine." Hank encouraged.

"But won't the cold cause her to have a heart attack?" Scott questioned.

"That is a perfectly reasonable thought. That is why this task must be handled with utmost caution. The cold will make Jean's heart work harder to keep her body warm-up. I realize this sounds illogical and contradictory, however, making her heart work more will ease her heart's burden. Jean's blood vessels will constrict allowing the heart to focus on pumping blood to her brain and other major organs." Hank educated.

Scott found himself crouched, barely able to stand, consumed by anxiety. He had never admitted it to anyone, but Scott genuinely loved Jean with all his heart. He cared for her deeply, and it was killing him to see her this way.

"Scott and Warren, I understand you are both concerned, nevertheless, it is still important that the two of you pull security while Bobby performs this task." Hank urged. Warren did an about-face and watched into the distance. Scott rose, having to force himself to look away from Jean.

"Take care of her, Bobby." Scott said hopefully. Bobby gave him a half-smile and then reached for Jean's neck.

"Now slowly engage." Instructed Hank.

"This must be the closest to a girl you've ever been, huh snowball?" Warren teased still looking the other way, unable to see the scowl, followed by the self-doubt on Bobby's face.

Bobby's hands began to slowly drop in temperature, reducing Jean's core body temperature.

"Perfect. Nice and easy." Hank praised.

As Bobby's hands got colder and colder, frost began to form in her wet hair. He stared at her face desperately hoping that this would work. Bobby loved Jean too, but it was different than Scott. Ever since he arrived at the mansion, Jean was always the nicest to him. She grew into something of an older sister to him. He looked up to her and admired her.

After a few moments, tears began to well up in Bobby's eyes. His already shaken confidence was slipping away.

"Alright Bobby, go ahead and release your hands. I do not believe her body can handle a great deal more." Hank advised.

Bobby's hands slipped away, and he fell to his butt, covering his face with his hands. As Bobby sat there crying into his hands, Hank raised his hand up, drumming on his forehead with his fingertips.

Jean's body began to twitch a bit, and then she began to shiver. A moment later, the sound of her teeth chattering caught Bobby's attention. He popped back up to his knees leaning over her. He could see her eyes darting around under her closed eyelids. It was almost like her body was restarting and he was watching all her functions turning on. Next, her fingers began to twitch.

"Guys, Guys! Look, something is happening!" Bobby called out.

Scott rushed over and took a knee beside her. Warren paced over with a look of hope across his face. Hank's hand lowered and he exited his thoughts to witness what was happening. Jean's knees began to lock and unlock, her entire body appeared to be vibrating from the shivers. And then in an instant, as if she had been paddled with a defibrillator, her torso left the ground as she went up on the back of her head and her butt for just a second, and then her body slammed back into position and she laid there lifeless.

Scott grabbed onto her hand, "Jean, can you hear me?" His head swiveled to Hank. "What happened to her?" He cried out.

Hank considered his words before answering. Just as he attempted to answer Scott's question, Jean's eyes burst open and she took a huge breath, gasping for air.

"You're alive! It worked!" Bobby cheered as he wrapped his arms around her.

Scott smiled as he released her hand and stood back up. He turned to face Hank. "Thank you for saving her life." Scott said emotionally.

Hank reached out and placed a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Of course, Mr. Summers. I believe that any one of you would do precisely the same for me."

While Scott and Hank had their moment. Warren helped Jean to her feet and offered a hug. Mid embrace, Jean looked over his wing longingly at Scott. She wondered why he released her hand and stepped back, right after she woke up.

"I would suggest that Jean may be in no condition to continue with the mission. I will withdraw myself to keep an eye on her in the X Jet." Suggested Hank.

As much as he hated to leave the other three on their own, Hank was all too eager to be pardoned from the violence. Though he was not going to allow them to know, this was not his cup of tea. He would much rather be in his lab, reading a book, or working in his garden.

"Never. I am not falling back. I need to be a part of this mission." Jean rejected Hank's suggestion.

Hank gazed at Jean with a look of disappointment. "Alright, Jean. I can trust you will express yourself if you feel you like you need rest?"

Jean ran a hand through her hair. "Of course, Doctor." She forced a smile.

The truth was that she was hurting considerably. Physically, yes, very much. But emotionally, more so. She wanted nothing more than to express her love for Scott but was terrified of nothing more than him rejecting her. Jean possessed the power to enter anyone's mind, something she promised Scott she would never do to him a long time ago, yet she was lost in her own mind trying to figure out why he let go of her hand when she woke.

# _________________________________________

"What do you mean? How could they have ‘Gotten the best of you’? Callisto screamed as she threw a loaded handgun across the commons room of the Morlocks sewer residence.

The purple-skinned man opened his mouth to respond but was cut off before he could even speak a word.

"Ugh, I don't even want to hear it. We had them where we wanted them. We took the offensive and had the advantage." She grabbed ahold of her hair, nearly pulling it out in anger. "I see Toad at least has some bruising on his face, what do you have Madin? What do you have to show for your loss?"

She provided him a moment to answer the question. He did not speak. "Holy sh-, un-freakin'-believable!" She shouted again. "Were you followed? Did you bring them to our home?" Callisto questioned.

The other Morlocks, with less fighting ability, looked over to hear the answer.

"No Ma'am." Madin shook his head. "They were regathering themselves after the ice one froze up Eve. That's when we dipped out of there." He continued.

Callisto stood there, dumbfounded that her plan fell apart and they lost that battle. She looked to the ground as she balled up both fists in front of her and took a deep breath. Before looking up and eyeing who was in the room around her.

Artie sat on the couch next to his adoptive, human, mother, Anna Lee. She had taken in Artie and Leech when they were abandoned by their respective biological parents as babies. The two grew up as brothers and best friends. Artie and his mother both stared at Callisto waiting to hear how she would handle this situation.

Various other Morlocks were spread out across the commons room. As she looked each of them over, she considered how each one could serve her purpose. Unfortunately, most of the battle-tested ones had already been wiped out. She squinted her one eye while she bit the inside of her lip.

"Alright! Here is what I've got. That battle was lost. But we are the Morlocks, we have defeated all challengers. I'll be damned if they are going to come here and wreck all that we have fought for." She decided she needed to reassure her Morlocks, she needed to rally them up if they were going to defeat the invaders.

Callisto moved across the room and collected the handgun she threw in her rage.

She approached the furry cat lady. "Feral, Tommy is out there somewhere. I need you to get out there and find her, bring her back here." She pointed to the ground where she stood. "Who knows what they will do to her if they find her."

She then spun and locked eyes with Artie. "Artie, I need your help too."

"Callisto, please. They took down Sunder and Shatter, our two biggest hitters. I am not letting you send out either of my boys." Anna Lee asserted as she lifted herself from the couch she and Artie shared.

Callisto walked across the room until she was standing right in Anna Lee's face. "Listen to me, Ms. Anna Lee. I have led these Morlocks to victory in every encounter we have faced. I have protected these Morlocks. I took you in and protected you and your boys when you were being hunted by mobs of people looking to hurt them." Callisto paused as she moved forward, her body pushing into Anna Lee's until it forced her to sit back down. "I suggest you remember who is in charge here. This is about the survival of the Morlocks. I need Artie to serve a purpose." She paused once more glancing over at Artie, and then back to Anna Lee. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to him, Leech, or you. But sometimes risks must be taken. Do you understand?"

Anna Lee's face expressed total fear. She looked over at her oldest son, he looked back at her. She looked into his big alien-like eyes and then cupped his cheek in her hand.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Callisto asked again with a growl.

Anna Lee jumped a little at the volume of Callisto's voice. "Yes, I understand." She reluctantly answered as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Good. Artie. You know your roll. Get up there and give them a distraction." Callisto ordered.

She gave Anna Lee one last look before turning and walking away. Artie stood up from the couch ready to go do the task Callisto assigned him. As he did, Anna Lee leaned forward and grabbed his hand, he turned and looked back at her, releasing her hand to offer her a hug. Then he turned and left.

"Hey, Artie!" hollered Marrow from her post at the doorway of the prisoners' room.

She was smirking as she held up her bone staff and patted it in her other hand a few times. "Callisto wants you to distract those surface dwellers, what do you say we give them something to see?" She nodded with her head invitingly as she turned and walked towards Alex's cell. Artie followed her, stopping at the doorway to watch what she would do next.

# _________________________________________

It had been over an hour since the team last saw any Morlocks. They searched all around the building and alleyway their attackers came from. There was no trace of them. Fortunately, the rain had stopped, at least.

After a while, Scott came up with an idea. "Jean, are you able to sense my brother?"

She closed her eyes and tried for a moment, but nothing was coming to her. "I can't. I'm sorry…"

"You have to try harder!" Scott demanded.

"Scott, I am trying the best I can!"

Scott realized he was being a little harsh and lowered his head, embarrassed.

Warren grabbed Scott by the shoulder and spun him to face him. The two stood face to face. Scott was not going to back down.

"She tried, man. Why don't you lay off her a bit?" Warren inserted himself into their situation.

"Warren it's okay. They have his brother, he is upset."

"No Jean, it isn't okay." Warren raised his voice as he turned to face Jean. "Scott doesn't give a damn about Alex. All Scott cares about is himself. Himself and the idea that he will never be the perfect boy scout leader he wishes he could be."

"Why don't you cool it, Angel?" Requested Bobby.

Warren turned his head to give Bobby a stupid look. "Why don't you stay out of this, kid!"

Hank reached out and grabbed onto the back of Warren's shoulder. Warren instantly spun and punched Hank in the face. "Oh shh- I am sorry! I thought you were…"

"Thought what, that he was me?" Scott interrupted, stepping up face to face with Warren once more.

Before the two could come to blows, Jean was unanticipatedly inside all four of their minds speaking to them. "Guy's someone is here. Someone is watching us. I cannot see them with my eyes; however, I can see us through theirs. They are standing behind Bobby."

Bobby freaked out and spun in a circle flailing his arms defensively blasting ice all around him. "Where? Where are they?" He fearfully questioned.

Jean could not help but chuckle at his response. In a hushed voice, she continued. "They are standing near that building over there." She gestured to a building about twenty-five feet behind Bobby.

Hank, still holding his hand over his face from the punch he just received, replied, also in a quiet voice. "I can't imagine this person means any harm. Likely, they are a scout for the Morlocks." Hank paused, non-discreetly looking over in the onlooker's direction. "Jean, can you make contact."

The whole team turned to face the hidden observer, as Jean squinted her eyes, focusing. After a moment, she could sense the person again. She saw her team staring from the person's point of view.

"Hello, we do not wish you or any of your friends any harm. We would just like our friend back." Jean said from within the onlookers' mind.

Abruptly, Jean could feel as the person began to panic. Likely, frightened at Jean's ability to enter her mind.

"They are scared." Jean informed.

"THERE!" called out Bobby, pointing.

He could see by engaging his thermal vision. Warren leaped from his feet and flew in a straight line in the direction of Bobby's finger. And then he saw her. She peeled herself from the brick wall and started to run away. She had the ability to camouflage with her surroundings, but once she pulled away her entire body and hair turned to into a pastel rainbow. Her white pea coat fluttered open in the wind as she ran for it, with Angel in pursuit.

"Do not injure her!" Hank ordered.

Scott was not far behind Angel, pursuing the woman as well.

Along with her ability to blend into her surroundings, she also had the cartoonish ability to make herself completely flat. She used this to aid in her escape. Warren may have had the speed to catch her via his ariel pursuit, but she could slip between rubble piles and smashed up objects.

Whenever she would momentarily disappear from sight, Scott would shoot light energy blasts at whatever obstacle was concealing her. Scott and Warren were gaining on her until she turned herself flat again and slipped into a sewage drain on the side of the road. Scott and Warren both came to a halt in the middle of the street.

"Well… do your thing." Warren demanded, gesturing to the drain.

Scott's face suggested agreeance. He raised his hand to his visor to control the blast with superior efficiency. He blasted a hole so big it encompassed most of the sidewalk. As they approached the hole to peer down, the cat woman leaped from the darkness below straight onto Angel.

As she collided with him, he crashed to the ground and tumbled onto his back. She landed mounted on top of him in full guard, slashing at his face with the sharp claws on her fingertips. He managed to get his hands up to cover his face defensively, so she shifted her attack to his torso. Scott charged towards her to assist, but as he reached for her, she turned and in one swing of the arm she clawed at his face, knocking his visor off. He turned to cover his face, less so in pain, and more to prevent a negligent optic discharge.

She returned her attention to Angel in an instant. He took advantage of the brief distraction to conceal himself with one of his wings. With both hands she began tearing away at his wing, feathers were flying, blood was spilling. She even reopened the injury on his wing from the previous night's battle. Reflexively, both his wings opened and then clapped together around her causing her to fall from her offensive position on top of him.

She immediately rolled back to her feet to continue the offensive. However, the rest of the team had caught up now. She stood up and faced the three of them. Warren’s blood dripped from the claws on her hands. Her mouth hung open to present her fangs. Her nose was curled as she snarled. She was, clearly, outnumbered, but this did not matter to her. Swiftly, she charged Bobby, Jean, and Hank. Hank dove for her and the two beasts clashed in the air. Hank was stronger, but she was faster and had sharper claws.

As the two slammed onto the ground, Hank used his strength to overpower her, so that he could take the top position. Jean used this moment to assist Scott and find his visor. Bobby ran to Warren. From underneath the cat lady began using her feet, kicking upwards on Hank's abdomen to knock him off. This eventually worked for her. Once she had him off, she kipped up to her feet. Quickly, she swung her head back and forth, ready for her next fight. Just as she twisted in the direction of Scott and Jean, Scott blasted her, unrelentingly. With her at the front of his blast, he nearly cut through a building on the opposite side of the road.

The team had defeated another Morlock but took a lot of damage in this battle. Scott, still on the ground touched his hand to his face, and then looked at it seeing his own blood on his glove.

Jean used her hands on her knees to lift herself back to a standing position as she reassured him. "There is a lot of blood, Scott. Although, I think only one of the cuts will require stitching."

She offered a hand to help him to his feet. He accepted, reaching out for her hand as he replied. "Thanks. There is no time for that now. We have to keep moving."

Scott and Jean gathered with the rest of the team. Warren was in and out of consciousness on the ground. Hank kneeled next to him assessing the damage done. He had lacerations on his face, chest, and worst of all, his wing.

"Warren is in terrible health after that ambush. I fear he is losing a substantial amount of blood, most notably from his previously injured wing." Hank informed the others.

"Can he continue the mission?" Scott inquired.

Hank wore a depressed look upon his face. He opened his mouth to answer Scott's question, but Warren spoke first through his pain. "I… have to… Alex… he needs… us."

"Absolutely not, Warren. You are in no condition to continue fighting."

"That may be for the best anyhow. I should have known yesterday when one of those Morlocks reached out of a manhole and grabbed my leg. I am almost positive they are underground." Bobby offered.

"I would venture to say that is a fair assumption, Bobby." Hank agreed.

"Right, hurt or not, Warren isn't going to offer much help down there anyway." Scott declared pridefully.

"We can't leave him here alone." Jean asserted.

"I said… I am goi…" Warren attempted to intervene again, falling from consciousness once more before he could finish his thought.

Without acknowledging Warren, Hank responded to Jean. "That would be correct, Jean. I will take him back to the jet." Hank conceded. He had found another out from this fight. He was not about to let it slip through his fingers again. "The two of us will return to the jet, where I will endeavor to forestall his bleeding until we return to the mansion."

His three remaining teammates nodded in understanding. "Scott." Called out Hank as he began to lift Warren from the ground.

"Yes?"

"You will lead the team." Directed Hank, propping Warren's body up against his.

Scott smiled. "Roger that."

"And Scott…"

"Yes, Hank?"

"…I want for you to be aware…"

Scott listened intently.

"I regard you as the leader of this team, no matter who the Professor designates to be in that role. This is your team, Scott. Lead them, continue with the mission, and recover your brother."

Scott's smile grew, as he extended his hand out to shake Hanks. Jean and Bobby could not help but smile at Hank's words. Hank scooped Warren into his arms, prepared to carry him back to the X Jet.

"God Speed kids. If you need anything, do not forget I can be reached via your communication devices.”

"We know!" Hollered back all three. Hank grinned as he turned and carried Warren away. The three watched a moment as forty percent of their team left. Not to mention one was the strongest and smartest on the team, and the other had the most experience in combat.

"You guys ready for this? It won't be any easier from here." Asked Scott, almost sounding like he was reminding himself.

Jean and Bobby shared a look before Jean grabbed Scott's hand.

"We are more than ready to follow your lead. Are _you_ ready?"

Scott took a moment, looking down at their hands, then back in the direction Hank and Warren left in, and finally, he looked up at Bobby and he offered his fist for a bump. "Thank you, guys. Thank you for having confidence in me."

Bobby returned the fist bump. "Of course!"

Jean tried to contain a smile at the sight of Scott smiling.

"Let's go!" Ordered Scott moving towards the hole in the sidewalk he had created. The hole that would lead them to his brother.

# _________________________________________

"Where is Callisto?!" Screamed Tommy, terrified, as she ran into the Morlock's commons area.

All the occupying Morlocks jumped to their feet. Some scared, all happy to see her.

"I'm here!" Announced Callisto as she entered the room, flanked by Ororo.

The two were in the prisoners' room. Callisto was visibly stressed, while Ororo wore a face the other Morlocks had grown used to seeing, one of disdain. It did not take the brightest Morlock in the room to know Ororo was displeased with Callisto's leadership, never mind the harsh words she would often receive from her.

"I am glad to see yer' okay. Did Feral bring you in?" Callisto asked.

With absolute horror in her eyes, Tommy grabbed ahold of Callisto's wrists. "They are coming!"

# _________________________________________

Scott led the way through the dark, damp, smelly, underground sewer system flanked by Jean, and behind her was Bobby, whom Scott tasked with rear security. The three had been underground for what felt like hours.

"I'm almost positive we have passed through this tunnel already. I specifically remember that old boot over there." Complained Bobby. "Woah, that's a rat. Nevermind!"

Even Scott chuckled at Bobby's mistake.

"Do you guys hear that?" Asked Jean. All three of them stopped, listening. They could hear a heated conversation taking place.

"It sounds like it is just ahead!" Observed Scott as he began hustling towards the voices. "That sounds like Alex!" Scott realized.

Scott turned a corner followed by the other two and they were suddenly in a big open area. Unfortunately, the size of the room did not dilute the smell at all. They could still hear the voices, but they could not find the source.

"Alex?!" Scott called out. "Alex we are here! Can you hear me?!

"With Bobby standing close in a defensive posture, Jean closed her eyes trying to sense Alex.

"Jean, come on." Interrupted Bobby. "Scott just waved us over to his position."

As they approached Scott, they could hear the conversation the clearest they had thus far. The three X-Men peaked around another corner and standing ahead of them they could see Alex trapped in a makeshift prison cell. Standing outside of it was the light pink-skinned woman that he had fist fought with the night before.

"There he is! What are we waiting for?" Questioned Bobby as he began to step off.

"Hold." Demanded Scott as he blocked Bobby with his arm.

"Something isn't right." Affirmed Jean.

The three stood hidden and watched the conversation unfold.

"Where's your team at? Oh, that's right. They aren't coming." She laughed.

"They will be back. They won't leave me here."

"Oh, is that what you think? You surface dwellers are so naïve. Let me explain something to you. No one cares about you. Why do you think they left you?"

Alex rolled his eyes and turned away putting his hands against the wall, obviously ignoring her.

She smacked a thick piece of metal that made up his cell wall with her bone club. "Don't ignore me!'' She hollered.

Alex turned back to look at her with a smirk on his face. "What's the matter? Did I hurt your little girl feelings?"

"Ya know what? I hope that your team does come back for you. So that me and the rest of the Morlocks can slaughter them, One. By. One." Marrow grinned.

Alex walked over and pressed his face against a piece of rebar. "I'd love to see these untrained criminals try and take down any of them." He offered her his usual smug, arrogant, pursed-lipped facial expression. This only irritated her more.

"Any of them? Well, we have you, don't we? You're lucky Callisto wants you alive, or I'd wipe you out myself. Nice. And. Slow." She threatened as she thumped her bone cane in her opposite hand.

The two held eye contact momentarily before Alex finally scrunched up his nose and made a snorting sound. He then spit right in her face. She took a half step back away from his cell, looking down as she wiped off the spit. Then she charged his cell with a grunt and drove her self-made weapon straight through his right shoulder, and then ripped it back out and walked away still angry. Alex immediately dropped to his knees clutching at his shoulder as blood began pouring out.

"Why aren't we doing anything?" Bobby angrily questioned.

"That wasn't real." Responded Scott and Jean.

"Wait, how did you know?" Jean asked, confused.

"It wasn't? They must be stalling." Speculated Bobby.

"That did happen. It just did not, actually, happen just now as we watched. I needed to see that Alex is still alive. Now we know. And to answer your question Jean, let me show you how I knew…" Scott answered, and then he turned the corner with a purpose and released a series of optic blasts down the dark hall. Before finally a little mutant child, alien in appearance, popped out with his hands up, knowing he was cornered.

"That is the kid from yesterday!" Exclaimed Bobby.

"That's how!" Verified Scott. The three approached the child. Scott demanded he tell them where his brother was. The child did not answer. He stood there crying as Scott became enraged by his silence.

"Scott let me try." Reasoned Jean. Scott turned and gestured for her to go ahead. Jean approached him and took a knee, getting down to his height. She offered an empathetic look and reached out giving her hand to the boy.

"Artie? That is your name, right?" Jean asked, already knowing the answer. He was shocked and began to back away.

"No, Artie it's okay, I promise. We are not here to hurt you. We truly do not want to hurt any of you."

His eyes flashed up towards Scott as if to disagree with her previous statement because of him.

"Oh, Scott? Are you scared of him?"

The boy slowly nodded, already prepared to try and run if necessary.

"Let me tell you about Scott, Artie. He is the most selfless, courageous, and protective Mutant I have ever met. He is just mad because your friends have his brother. To be honest we are all a little upset about it. But I promise we aren't going to hurt you."

As Jean make some headway with the boy, Scott reapproached and kneeled beside her, facing the boy. "Listen, Artie, when I was a boy, like you, my brother and I lost our parents in an airplane crash. He is all I have left, and I promised my parents I would take care of him. Can you understand that?"

Artie looked away and a projection appeared from his eyes. Another young Morlock appeared in front of them. It was the same boy who could negate other Mutant's powers.

"Is that your brother?" Asked Jean.

The boy nodded yes once more.

“Is his name Leech?” Jean asked, having already gathered from within his mind.

"I'll make you a deal, Artie. You take me to my brother, and I will do absolutely everything in my power to protect you and yours. Deal?" Scott held out his fist for a fist bump.

Artie reached out slowly and pressed his knuckles to Scott's.

"So, you do that with everyone, huh? I am hurt, Scott. I thought that was just our thing." Envied Bobby.

# _________________________________________

Artie led the trio through a maze that is the Staten Island sewer system, en route to the Morlock's lair. It was roughly a thirty minute trip from where he began leading them. During the walk Scott contemplated about his brother being left behind the previous night, and how he planned to right that wrong.

Finally, they reached a point where Artie was not willing to go any further. Via Jean's gift of telepathy, they were able to find out he feared for his, his brothers, and his mother's lives if he led them in there himself. So, he went back a different way and left the three of them to continue by themselves.

"What if this is a trap he just led us to? Bobby stressed.

"It isn't, Bobby." Reassured Jean.

"Before we go in, I am going to radio to Hank." Said Scott. "Beast, this is Boy scout, radio check."

There was silence for a moment over the radio. And then he heard static, followed by "Boyscout, this is Beast. I read you loud and clear. How are things going down there?" Responded Hank.

"Not too bad. We are right outside the Morlock lair. Have the X Jet ready and waiting for our return."

"Best of luck, Boyscout."

"This is it, team. We have survived everything else they've thrown at us. Let's make this as quick and painless as possible." Encouraged Scott.

The three shared a smile before they continued the short distance remaining. As they advanced, they saw a lit area with a big open space. They knew as they approached that was where the Morlocks would be. Scott led the trio with Jean and Bobby flanking him on either side. As they came into the opening all three of them immediately halted in their tracks as they saw what was ahead of them.

It was all the remaining Morlocks standing clustered together. Callisto stood at the center. They had a fifteen to three advantage. But that is not what scared them. On his knees in front of the Morlock cluster was Alex. His hands and feet were bound. He looked horrible. Beside him was Artie's brother. Callisto stood behind Alex, with a handgun aimed at the back of his head.

"So, you guys finally made it. Weren't there more of you before? I can't say I am, terribly, sorry for your lesser numbers." Uttered Callisto.

"We did make it. Your Morlocks have quite the welcoming party. And as far as our lesser numbers are concerned… I could say the same to you." Scott retorted.

"You are out-matched. You are all fools, you cannot fight us, here." Callisto declared.

"Callisto, we aren't here for a fight. We are here for my brother." Scott replied.

Noticing the two news employees in the next room Bobby interjected. "We will take the two News guys too."

"Oh, well it seems your poor brother has a touch of the plague." Callisto said, laughing, glancing over at an older woman amongst the group.

"What did you do?" Scott questioned.

"Give him back!" Interrupted Bobby.

Meanwhile Jean had silently made contact telepathically with Alex. She assured that he was alright.

Callisto halted mid-conversation when she realized how focused Jean was. She reached for her hip and pulled a second handgun from its holster and aimed it at Jean. "You must be the telepath. Tell me, can you feel his pain?" Callisto questioned.

Before Jean could respond Scott stepped forward raising his hand to his visor prepared to blast if necessary.

"Stop right there!" Demanded Callisto. "Anyone moves and your brother is gone!" She continued threateningly as her index finger found its home on the trigger of her handgun. "At my order, destroy them!" She demanded to her team. "Just like every other faction before them, they will fall at the hands of the Morlocks!" She declared.

Callisto stared at the visor of Scott. "3…2…1.." She hesitated briefly and then with the gun aimed at the back of Alex's head she began to squeeze the trigger.

"NOO!" Bellowed Ororo as she knocked Callisto's arm upwards away from her intended target.

"What are you doing, Ororo?!" Screeched Callisto.

"I am taking it!" Declared Ororo to Callisto's confusion. "You told me to try and take it if I believe I can do better than you." Ororo lowered her head and closed her eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking back up at Callisto. "You and I, now, for the leadership of the Morlocks! Refuse me and lose the respect of our tribe."

Scott, Jean, Bobby, and all the Morlocks watched, bewildered by what was happening in front of them. Marrow began to step forward to attack Ororo, still holding her bone weapon.

"Wait." Directed Callisto holding up a hand towards Marrow. "Fine Ororo. You want this, you got it! No powers, one on one." Callisto accepted Ororo's challenge and tossed her guns aside. Callisto looked to Caliban and pointed at Alex to remove him from the center of the floor.

"You truly messed up this time, Ororo." Callisto warned as the two began squaring up to fight.

Callisto stopped in front of Marrow and held out her hand. Marrow set the bone spear into her grip and looked up at Ororo with a smirk.

"She can't do that." Whispered Bobby. "Hey Ororo" he called out. "Take this!" Bobby held out his arm and created a Captain America style shield of ice. He tossed it to Ororo.

Just as she caught it, Callisto shook her head in disgust and then charged, swinging the bone spear downward towards Ororo, only to be blocked by the ice shield. Callisto unleashed numerous strikes, but all attempts were blocked.

The two went back and forth for a couple of minutes in their evenly matched contest as both sides just watched on. Some of the Morlocks secretly wanted Ororo to win and bring an end to Callisto's warmongering ways. Callisto faked Ororo out when she teased an attack to the head and then rotated and swung the spear, colliding with her knee. Ororo collapsed to both knees, and Callisto attempted to follow up on the opening only to be checked in the abdomen by the shield. Callisto dropped the spear, clutching at her ribs. This bought Ororo some time to return to her feet. She went over to pick up the spear.

"Tarface!" shouted Marrow. He stepped forward from the crowd of Morlocks and threw a glob of tar at the spear causing it to stick to the ground blocking Ororo's attempt to pick it up. With Ororo still kneeled over, Callisto returned and connected with a punk kick to the face. As Ororo staggered backward clutching at her face, Callisto collected herself.

"You're done for Ororo! Grrrr-Ahhh!" Callisto hollered as she charged, swinging for Ororo's head with a forearm strike, but Ororo ducked and their two bodies pressed together long enough for Ororo to connect with an overhead scorpion kick to the face of Callisto. This left Callisto reeling. Ororo took advantage and decimated Callisto with a spinning hook kick, knocking her to the ground. With Callisto grounded, Ororo mounted her, grabbing her by the back of the head and raised a fist ready to strike.

"You've lost. But you shall not die. Killing is not the way." Declared Ororo.

Marrow stood, angry in the crowd. From both of her forearms, she slid out bone daggers and rushed towards Ororo's back. She raised both of her daggers, and then suddenly collapsed to the ground, dropping her weapons as she grabbed her head. Marrow screamed in pain.

Jean had intercepted her with a psychic blast. Ororo turned around to see Marrow on the ground behind her. She swung her head back towards Jean, nodding in a sign of gratitude. Then she looked to Scott "Retrieve your brother and the others. I speak for all of the Morlocks when I apologize for what has happened here."

Jean and Bobby got Alex while Scott went and freed the other two prisoners.

Ororo turned back to face the Morlocks. "We no longer have to live this way. No longer, must we hide in the darkness. No longer must we wage war, spilling blood, and sacrificing those we care about to prove something."

While Ororo spoke to her tribe, Scott began receiving communication from Hank on the surface. "Scott… team… does anyone read me?" Questioned Hank frantically through static.

"Hank, we hear you. What's going on?" Scott was concerned by the anxiety he could hear in Hank's voice.

"Scott! The Sentinels have arrived. There appears to be an entire platoon of them."

"Roger. We have Alex. We are headed…" Scott trailed off as a dozen softball sized drones flew into the room around his team and the Morlocks.

Ororo turned to Scott. "What are those? Are they with you?"

"No! It seems we have gained the attention of Mutant hunting robots." Answered Scott.

Ororo did not reply verbally but she wore the expression of fear. Loud rumbling began overhead.

"What should we do?" Asked Bobby. Before anyone could answer, the drones began hovering overhead. One at a time each drone attached itself to the ceiling and exploded. This caused portions of the ceiling to start collapsing down on top of the Mutants.

"Clear the area!" Demanded Scott.

Abruptly a bigger explosion went off, presumably from the surface level. As the Mutants watched on in terror. They began to see the moonlight from outside. Before they knew it, a crater exposing the sewer to the surface level had been formed. Towering overhead around the perimeter of the crater were numerous Sentinels. One of them took a knee and peered into the hole.

"MUTANTS IDENTIFIED. TARGETS ACQUIRED." Spoke the deep robotic voice of a Sentinel.

All the Sentinels' heads turned down to investigate the hole. Before anything else could happen, Scott shot an optic blast through the hole at the first Sentinel's face. It was enough to make it stumble backward.

"Morlocks! We need to run for it!" Hollered Callisto.

As some of the Mutants began scattering, another sentinel reached into the hole. "HALT MUTANT." Ordered the Sentinel as it reached out and scooped up a member of the Morlocks. More Sentinels began making orders and trying to capture Mutants. If a Mutant attempted to resist, they were killed.

The other Morlocks, the ones that did not try to flee, along with Scott, with Alex in tow, Bobby, Jean, and the two News guys all took cover. One Morlock ran for his life but a pursuing Sentinel reached out as a tentacle extended from its hand and wrapped around the ankles of the Mutant, tripping him. The tentacle then retracted taking the helpless Mutant into the sentinels' mammoth grip. After capturing the Mutant, that Sentinel turned and took flight leaving the scene with the Mutant screaming in hand.

Bobby watched from behind a pile of rubble as Madin, the purple-skinned Morlock went on the offense against a Sentinel. He evaded multiple attempts at capture. Eventually, inevitably, he was scooped into the hand of a Sentinel. He squirmed and tried to fight loose.

"DO NOT RESIST MUTANT." Demanded the monotone Sentinel.

It raised him in its hand towards its face. The Sentinels eyes began to glow. The Morlock finally wiggled himself free after failing to engage his light blades. Choosing the safer option he dropped into a pile of debris.

Bobby recognized this was a fellow Mutant, and that despite being on opposing sides before, he knew they needed each other now. He climbed out of the crater and ran towards Madin who had not yet gotten to his feet.

"Bobby wait!" Called out Scott.

"No, he needs help." Bobby disputed.

The Mutants were losing this battle. Some were being captured while others were being massacred. Madin's rival Sentinel lifted its leg preparing to stomp down onto him. Bobby jumped into the rubble pile beside Madin and created a protective igloo around them with solid ice. The Sentinel's stomp merely chipped at the extra-large igloo.

"Ororo, Bobby is right. Our only chance of survival is working together.”

“Can you bring the rain?" Proposed Scott.

Ororo nodded in agreement and then her eyes turned solid white and she flew into the sky with arms outstretched. Lightning struck many times in the nearby vicinity, follow by roaring thunderclaps. She summoned lightning on herself, and then after a moment she held out her hands towards an attacking Sentinel and blasted it with electricity until it exploded.

Scott reluctantly left his brother and the two News employees in the care of the Morlock known as Toad as he and Jean climbed out of the crater. Scott pulled Jean out, and then a small explosion knocked Scott away. He managed to lift himself back to his feet only to see Jean being lifted into the air by a Sentinel.

"Jean!" Scott cried out.

He ruthlessly began blasting the Sentinel in the chest until a hole formed in its chest plate. Scott did not stop until his optic blast finally fired straight through the torso of the Sentinel. Powerless, the Sentinel tipped over straight backward, crashing through buildings and rubble from previous battles. Scott ran to find Jean. As Scott approached the clenched fist of the downed Sentinel, containing Jean, he was prepared to blast it open when suddenly the fingers all opened, seemingly on their own. Jean was safe inside, protected from the fall by the Sentinel's massive hand. She had used her telekinesis to open its grip once on the ground.

As Jean climbed down, Scott embraced her in a hug.

"I don't know what I would have done if that Sentinel left with you… or worse." Scott confessed.

"Well, you don't have to worry." Jean motioned with her hands as if to present herself. "See, I am fine. Thank you for taking that thing down." She smiled.

Scott cracked a smile back, before sobering up. "Team this is Scott and Jean… Alex is safe… Bobby, I need a radio check… Hank, we could use a pickup right about now!"

Without warning, a few more Sentinels lowered to the ground in front of him and Jean.

"MUTANTS IDENTIFIED. TARGETS ACQUIRED."

"Uhhh, Hank... Make that a _hasty_ pickup!" Scott corrected.

"How about a _brisk_ rescue? Quipped Bobby as he and Madin came into sight.

Bobby was elevated a few feet above the ground on a slide of ice he was generating under his feet as he progressed forward. He hopped from his ice path and began shooting sizable icicles from his hands, piercing the backs of the Sentinels.

"En route." Communicated Hank over comms.

Madin ran straight for another Sentinel, fearlessly. He jumped onto the foot of the machine and engaged his forearm sabers again, cutting straight through the leg of the mech. As the Sentinel reached for him, Bobby focused his attention on the Sentinel's hand. He sent out a beam of ice into the opening where the robot's tentacle was deploying from. This froze it in place allowing Madin the opportunity to leap for the Sentinel's hand and cut it clean off at the wrist.

Ororo flew by and initiated a tornado right over the one-handed Sentinel. It was pulled in and devoured by the unnatural-natural disaster. The Sentinel's body began breaking apart as it was violently whipped around. Suddenly the tornado stopped, and disassembled parts all crashed to the ground.

With the coast seemingly clear, Hank lowered the X- Jet on the teams' position. As soon as the plane was landed, Hank hustled out of the rear bay door.

"Hank, come with me to retrieve Alex." Directed Scott.

Hank smiled. "Moving, team leader."

The two ran back for the crater together. Jean boarded the plane and approached Warren who sat, sedated, covered with wounds on his face and chest. The damage to his wing was stitched shut on both sides. He looked up to her with a blank face. She offered an apologetic smile in return.

Outside of the jet, Bobby felt torn. He was ready to get the hell out of Mutant Town, but he was not ready for his partnership with Madin to end.

"Hey Madin, I am sorry for how this all started. It was _cool_ working with you!"

"HA! I see what you did there, Ice Man." Madin responded playfully. He walked over and put his hand on Bobby's head and messed up his hair. Bobby hated that, but for one reason or another was okay with it.

"Ice Man?" Bobby whispered to himself. "Come with us." Bobby offered to Madin.

"You are all welcome." Jean expanded on Bobby's offer from the bay door.

"Listen, I don't mean no shade, but I don't know if where y’all goin’ is the kind of place for me." Madin politely declined.

Jean noticed Bobby frown and persisted. "Your loss. Your own room with your own bed. Three meals a day, free education, training to master your gifts. It could all be yours."

"Wait. Y'all serious? No cap?... Spill the tea." Madin questioned.

Jean and Bobby shared a look, not understanding most of what he just said. Madin recognized this and in his best "educated voice" tried again. "You all are serious? You are not lying? What is the catch?"

Jean and Bobby both chuckled. "No catch. The Professor created a safe place for Mutants. That includes you. You in?" Bobby really wanted Madin to come. It was kind of obvious.

"Why not? I'll give it a try." He and Bobby shook up.

"Great! I mean... that's _chill."_ Bobby tried to cover his excitement.

"Haha! You're not bad Ice Man." Affirmed Madin as he entered the jet.

"Ice Man?" questioned Jean to Bobby. Bobby just made a silly face and walked on board behind Madin.

# _________________________________________

Scott and Hank climbed down into the crater where Toad remained hidden with Alex. "Toad, the coast is clear. You can come out." Scott called out.

Toad peaked out from behind what used to be the road above his current position. When he saw it was Scott and Hank, he hooked Alex under his arms and dragged him out into the open.

"I at no time would have predicted alliances being formed out here on the battlefield. Well done, Mr. Summers." Hank praised Scott.

Scott grinned in acknowledgment before looking to Toad. "Thank you so much for keeping him safe. There is space on the jet if you'd like to come back with us" Scott offered.

"Say no more." Blurted Toad as he leaped away and out of the crater.

Hank looked on, impressed "Hmm. Words do not do it justice. Never in a hundred millennia would I have anticipated the conclusion of this battle happening like this."

Hank lifted Alex into his arms. "Are the two of you mobile?" He inquired to the News employees.

"Yes, enough to get out of here anyway." Responded one of them.

The four men began to exit the crater together. Scott climbed our first, and Hank passed Alex up to him, and then assisted the News employees out next.

"Scott, I need your help!"

Scott looked around searching for the voice.

"Scott, over here."

Scott finally spotted her. "That's Ororo! Hank, you get Alex and these two back to the jet. I will catch up."

"You're certain this is not a ruse?" Hank inquired.

"Absolutely not. She more than earned my trust, tonight. You go, get them to safety. I won't be long." Scott affirmed.

Hank left with Alex as Scott ran back for Ororo. As he got closer, he called out to her. "What's going on?"

"It's Leech! He is trapped beneath this rubble." Ororo was distressed. Scott instantly thought of the deal he had made with Artie, Leech's brother. He told Artie he would not let anything happen to them.

"Leech is trapped in there alone? Do you know where his brother and mother are?" Scott questioned frantically.

Ororo looked at Scott as a tear ran down her face. ''Leech believes a Sentinel must have escaped with his brother. He says his mother was killed in the attack."

"Damnit!" Scott failed to keep his word to Artie. Scott bit the inside of his lip as he ducked his head in defeat.

"Alright, Leech, can you hear me?" Scott shouted to the inside of the rubble pile.

"I can hear you." The child answered.

"Do you have any room to move?"

"A little. I can move to my right."

"Alright buddy, tell me when you have moved as far in that direction as you can."

There was a moment of silence while they waited for Leech to reposition himself.

"Okay, I am over here." Leech announced. Scott could hear the difference in Leech's position.

"Hang tight Leech, we are coming." And with that Scott stepped back raising his hand to his visor as he shot a very precise optic blast at the rubble pile.

"Ahhhh. Are they back?" Screamed Leech.

"No, child. It is just us. We will have you out in a moment." Reassured Ororo.

Scott's blast did some damage to the pile. Enough that he and Ororo could begin pulling rocks and boulders out of their way. After a few moment's they had cleared the pile and were able to safely rescue Leech. He immediately embraced Ororo. She held him in her arms briefly. Leech then turned and thanked Scott.

# _________________________________________

Meanwhile back at the X-Jet, Warren instantly sobered from his sedated state at the arrival of Toad.

"What the hell is that thing doing here!?" Warren yelled out in anger. No one had an answer for him.

"Uhh… the guy… the one with the… ya know" Toad motioned towards his eyes trying to charade who he was talking about to the others. "The one with the thing."

"Scott?" Offered Jean.

"Yeah… that's the one. He said Toad was welcome." Informed Toad.

"Well, I say different!" Warren said as he lunged forward attacking Toad.

He knocked him down with a big right hand. Even with Toad grounded he did not stop there. Bobby, Madin, and Jean all began trying to pull Warren off Toad. Warren spread his wings to knock the others away. In doing so he ripped open the stitches in his wing, and the blood began to pour again.

"Warren! Stop it!" Demanded Jean to no avail.

Toad tried to squirm loose, offering no fight in response to being attacked. Finally, with help from Bobby and Madin, Toad was able to get loose and hop out of the bay door. However, Warren persisted and gave chase. He dove from his position using his wings to glide until he crashed into the fleeing Toad.

As Warren collided with him, he wrapped his arms and wings around Toad and the two tumbled across the ground. When they finally stopped, it was Toad who returned to his feet first. He took a defensive position. Warren pushed up and stood. He attempted to spread his wings, but only one went out. The other stayed low as blood poured from his wound dying every feather in its path red.

Warren became even more enraged at the inability to use his wing. Just then, Hank returned with Alex and the other hostages. "What is going on here?" Hank furiously questioned.

"This creature showed up on our jet. I tried to defend us… and now my wing will not…" Warren broke down before he could finish his thought.

"Defend? Defend from whom?" Hank questioned.

"Hank, Warren saw red and went on the offensive at the sight of Toad." Informed Jean. "As far as his wing is concerned, during the assault, he re-opened his stitches. I am uncertain why his wing will not open anymore." She continued.

"Uhh… Toad may have an idea." Toad interjected.

Everyone looked to him waiting for him to elaborate. This intimidated him a bit. He began backing away with his hands up in front of him. "T'was an accident… When attacked Toad secretes a resin…"

"A resin? Fascinating. What can you report of this resin, Toad?" Inquired Hank.

"The resin… it is a defense… Resin finds open wounds… Disables body parts."

"You are saying the resin is paralytic?"

"Sure."

"Jean, get Warren to his previous place inside. Cleanse his wound to the best of your ability." Hank paused for a moment trying to process what he just learned.

Just then Scott, Ororo, and Leech approached.

"Please hurry inside, we must get going. There was a… situation. I fear Warren's health may be in danger." Hank warned as he boarded the jet.

Scott led Ororo and Leech aboard the jet. Ororo walked aboard last, looking back at the destruction of Mutant Town as the bay door shut and the X-Jet lifted off.

** Chapter IV **

Scott and Bobby piloted the X-Jet back to the Mansion. As they taxied into the hanger, the Professor and Forge were there waiting for them. Beside Forge was a hospital bed, prepared for Warren and a spare wheelchair. Throughout the flight, the condition of Warren's wing had worsened. The resin Toad excreted had infected Warren's wound and was in his bloodstream. Hank was forced to apply a tourniquet to his damaged wing to prevent the toxin from spreading into his body.

As soon as the jet stopped, the rear bay door lowered and Hank, carrying Warren ran out, flanked by his medical assistant, Jean. They got him onto the hospital bed and disappeared along with Forge to get Warren into surgery.

Next off the plane were Scott and Alex. Alex was deeply ill and could not support his weight on his own. Scott carried him over to the extra wheelchair next to Charles.

"Isn't this a wonderful sight to see." Pleased was Charles to see Alex rescued, and together with Scott. "Excellent job tonight Scott! Get your brother down to medical."

Scott nodded in acknowledgment.

"We dropped those News guys off at the hospital on the way. Their behavior and demeanor at least created the impression that they were grateful for our rescue." Scott briefed.

Charles acknowledged with a nod of his own.

Last off the plane was Bobby and the four newcomers. As they approached Charles looked on with a welcoming smile. He particularly took notice of Ororo. As the group advanced towards him, Bobby began speaking. "Hey, Professor! We made it."

"I see that Bobby. Words cannot do justice to the level of relief seeing all of you back here has brought me. And our new friends?" Charles asked, not removing his eyes from Ororo.

"Oh! My bad." Bobby apologized. "This is Madin, Toad, Leech, and Ororo."

"It is wonderful to have the four of you here. I am thrilled to learn about each of you. Charles smiled. "Though I hope each of you understands, there are exceedingly important events going on right now, that I must attend to."

Madin just nodded his head in understanding. While Ororo stepped forward to speak. "Of Course, Professor Xavier. Please let me know if we can do anything to help. And please know, that we are not without gratitude for being welcomed into your beautiful home."

"Your accent… Cairo?" Charles smirked knowingly.

"Yes, I grew up there. How did you know?" Ororo asked, taken back.

"I guess it was just a hunch. Bobby, please show them to their rooms." Charles ordered. "Make yourselves at home and get some rest." Charles suggested. He turned in his chair and exited the room.

Ororo watched as the Professor left, still skeptical. She could not figure out how he was able to place her accent so precisely, so quickly.

# _________________________________________

"Ahhhhh! NO! You can't do this!" Warren screamed and cried. After assessing the damage to his wing, and the toxic resin in his bloodstream, Hank and Jean made the utterly difficult decision that it would be best to amputate Warren's wing.

Through tears, Warren pleaded. "Hank, please don't do this. Hank, please god, do not do this to me! I am begging you." Tears rolled down his face as he screamed. His right eye was blood red, likely from a broken blood vessel. He thrashed and fought as Hank and Forge tried to restrain him.

"Forge, don't let them do this to me! You have to stop them!" Warren cried.

"Mr. Worthington, my heart trembles for you. Removing your wing is, surely, the last thing I would ever wish to do…" Hank tried to reassure before interruption.

"Then don't do it, Hank! Hank please, please, RAHHH… Hank, please don't do this!"

"Warren, while difficult, this is necessary. The toxin is in your bloodstream. The poison would readily travel to your heart and kill you, Warren." Hank tried to reason.

"Then let me die!" Warren screamed, still resisting the restraints. "I would rather die… I would rather die, Hank!" Warren's pleads continued.

"Hey! Don't you even say that Warren. You kids mean the world to me!" Shouted Forge, still trying to hold down Warren.

Just then Warren slipped one of his arms free and punched Forge in the face, causing him to release his other arm. Warren rotated himself on the operating table and kicked Hank away. He quickly got to his feet, but he was weak and could hardly stand from the sedative given to him. He grabbed a surgical knife and held it out to prevent Hank or Forge from coming close.

He stood there, striving to balance, drenched in sweat, tears rushing down his face, with a knife in hand. "Don't you understand…" He paused a moment having to catch his balance on the instrument table. "…Understand. I would rather die than have my wings taken from me!" He continued.

Hank noticed Jean returning from the other room where she had been tending to Alex. As she quietly entered, he stalled to keep Warren's attention. "Warren please. Continuing without your wing is difficult, I understand. Yet, removing it is a necessity at this point."

Jean grabbed another sedative syringe and crept up quietly behind Warren. Just as she held it up to inject him, he noticed her behind him in the reflection from a medicine cabinet. He spun and knocked the syringe from her hand. "What are you doing, Jean!? Why are you helping them!" Warren shouted.

With Warren's back turned, Hank desperately tried to advance. He knocked into a table as he moved, which regained the attention of Warren. Warren spun around holding the surgical knife towards Hank.

"Hank, please stop, I am begging you. Please stop!" Warren cried as he inched closer. Suddenly, Warren's eyes rolled into the back of his head, where only the whites of his eyes could be seen, and he began to crumble towards the ground. He attempted to catch himself on a countertop to no avail. As he dropped downward, Hank was able to catch him and lift him back onto the operating table.

"Thank you, Jean, I realize that was not easy to do." Hank said. Across the table from him was Jean, she lowered her hands from her temples and opened her eyes. Seeing no other option, she mentally sedated him.

PART 4:

The Ridgeback Mountains of Genosha

"And now I am here in this little house… in the Ridgeback Mountains… tied to this chair… with all of your beautiful faces staring at me." She sarcastically said.

Her big green eyes glared around the room full of Mutants gathered on either side of her, just staring, while she told her story. The crowd was broken in two on one end of the room by where she sat tied to a wooden chair. Across the room in a straight line from her sat a man in front of a desk, facing mostly away from her. If not for his hood she would have been able to see the edge of his face. The Mutants surrounding her came in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

The one-room house was without power or lights. Countering the darkness was light emanating from a fireplace behind the group of Mutants standing to her right, light from a small lantern on the desk where the cloaked man sat, and the tiny bit of moonlight coming through the windows behind the group of Mutants standing to her left.

After a moment of quiet, while everyone processed all they had been told, a skinny blonde man who had been staring at the fireplace throughout her entire story, stepped out into the clearing. She noticed while she told her story that occasionally his facial expression would change, and the fire would frolic as if on command.

Once in the clearing, he opened his mouth, and an unexpected Australian accent came out. "Oi mate, I'm bloody buggard. This westie ever gonna put a sock in..."

"Enough Allerdyce!" Commanded the cloaked man at the desk. "All of you may leave. Joanna, contact Cortez. I will anticipate his arrival in the morning." He continued.

After the last Mutant stepped out of the house pulling the door shut behind her, the cloaked man brought his hands up in front of his face almost as if he were praying, touching the knuckles of his thumbs to his forehead. Then with each hand, his thumb and curled index finger grabbed ahold of the hood on his cloak and lowered the hood between his shoulder blades exposing his pony-tailed silver hair. He placed both hands just above his knees and lifted himself from the chair, and then sidestepped behind and pushed the chair into the desk with both hands at the top of the backrest. With his back to the woman, he lowered his head closing his eyes, and took a deep breath.

After a moment went by, he lifted his head and raised an arm, allowing his hand to glide through his hair, from front to back, and then he pulled the ponytail holder from his hair and tossed it onto the desk, allowing his long hair to fall just above his shoulders. As he turned in her direction, his face descended again, and then with the same hand as before, he stroked his beard as he took a few steps in her direction, the wooden floor creaked with each step. Finally, his head ascended, his brilliant and intense blue eyes were piercing. She was shocked.

After meeting his eyes with her own, her eyes lowered, and then frantically darted around the room, looking at anything except for him. She was not ready to look him in the face. It took her a moment to find her breath, and then her words after that.

And then, with no control of her mouth, but with complete certainty, she blurted out, "You're him… It's you… You're… You are Magneto!"

His steely, hardnosed expression turned to a grin. "I am, and despite, seemingly knowing your life story, I still find myself asking… Who are you?"

"Oh! My name is Lorna Dane. I... I am your daughter."

** Chapter V **

Monday

When Scott woke up, he trekked through the mansion down to his brother's recovery room, accompanied by Jean Grey. She was the one who inspected his shoulder injury and concluded that with time to heal, he would be fine. She also set up his IV to prevent dehydration as well provide his body with the medicine and nutrients needed for recovery, when they returned the night before. Forge stayed up the rest of the night with Alex and Warren, allowing Hank and Jean to get some much-needed rest. Neither patient required much attention, as Alex was sleeping off the ailment he was plagued with. And Jean left Warren under mental sedation due to Hank's advisement.

As Scott and Jean entered the medical bay below the mansion they were met by Forge in the hallway.

"Morning kids, Alex slept all night. The antibiotics are doing him wonders. I am not a Medical Doctor, but I'd say he is going to be fine, with some rest."

"That is great news!" Jean said enthusiastically. Scott only responded with a half-smile as he walked over and peeked in at his sleeping brother.

"Alright, you two. I am off to bed. Let me know if you need anything." Said Forge, body already halfway out the door. He lingered a moment awaiting a response, to which Jean smiled and gave him a quick wave to relieve him of his duty.

"Scott you are welcome to go in and see him if you'd like. I can't promise he will wake anytime soon." Jean offered.

''Thanks, Jean." Scott returned as he began to open the door. He turned back to her and smiled. She had not seen his smile much lately, but it always melted her heart, especially when it was at her.

Scott entered quietly, not letting the door fall shut. He stood over his brother's bed and watched as he slept, recovering from all the damage he suffered the last two nights. As he stood there, peering down at his brother, so many feelings stirred up inside of him. He was so angry at Alex for jumping out of the jet as they were taking off. Yet, he was so proud of his brother for doing something so selfless.

"How could you be so stupid, so reckless, so… brave?" Scott whispered, mostly just thinking out loud. His next thought was of their parents, and how proud they would be.

# _________________________________________

Professor Xavier called an assembly to properly introduce himself to the former rivals and potential newest additions to the school. He required the presence of everyone. The only exceptions were Warren and Alex, due to their conditions, along with Forge who stayed up all night to look after the other two. Everyone gathered in the family room. Behind the couch, a table was set up with a spread of brunch time appropriate foods. From bagels to various fruits, to juice, and coffee.

Hank was the first to arrive, punctual as always. He poured himself a cup of black coffee and took a bagel and found his seat in a chair. Next to enter was Ororo. Upon entry, she noticed Hank and stood close to the doorway through which she just entered.

"We have a plethora of concessions. Please help yourself" Hank offered.

"Thank you." Ororo coyly responded.

Next through the door was Madin. Having heard Hank's invitation to eat, he helped himself to a glass of orange juice. He took a sip, and then quietly eyed the glass, slightly disappointed that the juice had gone warm from sitting out.

"Here. I can help!" Offered Bobby, as he entered and saw Madin's dismay. Bobby walked over and held out his hand to take the glass from Madin's. Reluctantly, he passed his glass into Bobby's grasp. Bobby smiled, and then suddenly the glass began to fog. Bobby handed the glass back with a wink. As Madin grabbed the glass he realized it was ice-cold.

"Yaaaaaas! Thanks, Ice Man!" Madin thanked as he took a drink of his cold orange juice.

Scott and Jean entered, having just shared the trek from down in the medical bay together. Scott remained calm and stoic, but he truly just wanted to remain by his brother's side. He felt he needed to be there when Alex woke up.

Jean found a spot at the end of the couch nearest to Hank's chair. The two began discussing Warren's current health. Scott made up two cups of coffee, both mixed with creamer, and a teaspoon of sugar each. He collected both cups and took the seat beside Jean on the couch, giving the second cup to her.

The next arrival was Leech. Leech had asked Ororo to excuse him from this assembly, but she told him he should be there. He entered, quietly and stood close to Ororo, keeping himself almost hidden. Leech had a long road to emotional recovery, having lost both his mother and his brother in the Sentinel attack.

Finally, Toad entered the room. Toad had the worst posture most anyone who looked at him, had ever seen. He carried his shoulders very slouched and kept his head ducked avoiding eye contact with anyone around. As he entered the room, he tilted his head up enough to peek through his long-dreaded hair and see people with food and drinks. His attention quickly swung to the concessions table.

Hank noticing Toad's arrival. "You are more than welcome to…"

Before Hank could complete his sentence, Toad leaped across the room and landed feet first in a squatted position on the back of the vacant end of the couch. His long tongue shot out of his mouth and grabbed some blueberries, while each of his hands grabbed a bagel, and he began digging in.

"Toad! Where are your manners!" Demanded Ororo.

Toad, with a mouthful of food, looked back over his shoulder before stepping off the back of the couch. He stuffed the food into his cheek.

"Toad, sorry…BURRRRP… Still sorry." He unconvincingly apologized as he stuck more food into his mouth.

Jean and Hank watched, rather unimpressed while Scott drank his coffee and tried to ignore the obnoxious behavior and putrid smell emanating from Toad.

Ororo spoke up, embarrassed. "I apologize for Toad's manners."

"Or lack of 'em." Chimed in Madin, inducing a snicker from Bobby.

A door on the far side of the room opened, through it came Professor Xavier. He wheeled past the concessions table, behind the chair where Hank sat, and stopped beside Hank, including himself in the circle around the room all the others had made. Charles looked around the room at all the faces that were peering back at him, familiar and new. He noticed Leech trying to hide behind Ororo.

"It's quite alright out here, Leech. I would be delighted if you would step out from behind Ms. Munroe and join us." Ororo turned her head, pondering the name that the Professor just spoke.

"My surname… How do you know that name?" She inquired.

"I told you. The Professor knows everything!" Bobby reminded.

"Yo Prof. How many fingers am I holding up behind my back?" Tested Madin, holding both hands behind his back.

"If I may interject," Hank inserted. "The odds of that number being known, or rather, predicted are one in eleven. See, you could be holding up any number of fingers ranging from one to ten… or you could truly be holding up no fingers at all." Hank paused a moment peering around the room. First, at the number of people in the room, followed by the clock rested on the mantle above the fireplace, and lastly, he stared into the eyes of Madin as he leaned forward in his chair, setting his coffee on the end table.

"I would venture to say that unconsciously, you thought to hold up the number nine, one finger representing every life in this room, however, this would have been too obvious, so you changed your mind midway through the initial challenge. Instead, you put down a single finger, except you speculate that an even number would be too easy to guess. This rules out two, four, six, eight, and ten." Hank smirked, as Madin nervously glanced at Bobby.

"The uneasiness on your face suggests that I am on the right track. I speculate to flee from nine to anything less than six would be too much of a task for the brain to govern in the split second that the decision was made. So now we can eliminate one, three, and five." Hank confirmed as he stood from his chair, grabbed his coffee cup, and walked around to the concessions table to refill.

He sipped from his fresh cup of coffee and then began again. "This leaves us with two options. You most certainly could have two closed fists at your posterior; however, I hypothesize you chose the other option." Hank asserted as he returned to the circle of Mutants. This time he stood in the center of the group. Madin was biting the inside of his lip nervously.

"Thus, there is one number that remains. The most common irregular number found between one and ten. The number has that reputation, likely, due to its prime-ness. Your number is seven, the most popular of all numbers." Hank alleged as Charles smirked, already knowing the answer.

Madin laughed as he brought both of his hands forward. With one hand he held up five fingers. With other, two. "Dang, bruh! You seriously put all that together?"

"All of that, supplemented by the fact that you situated your glass of juice next to the clock on the mantle in order to free up your hand. Your challenge to the Professor was made at seven minutes past the hour. Without realizing it you likely read the clock as you placed your glass beside it. I'd argue the number seven chose you, rather than contrariwise." Hank took another drink of his coffee as he reapproached his chair and reclaimed his seat.

Madin stared at him in disbelief. Bobby reached over and patted him on the back. "I guess I failed to mention that Hank knows everything too."

Everyone shared a brief laugh. Everyone except Toad, he was completely oblivious to any of what had just happened as he ripped apart a bagel and shoved it into his mouth, piece by piece.

"Well then. Now that's outta the way, 'cha got for us, Prof?" Inquired Madin to Professor Xavier.

All eyes shifted towards Charles. He contemplated for a moment, regathering all his thoughts, misplaced during all the commotion. He studied the faces that surrounded him, lingering especially long on each of the new ones.

"Ororo, Leech, Madin, and Toad. I am thrilled to welcome you to my family home, now recognized as the Xavier Institute for Gifted Mutants. I acknowledge this may be a temporary stay for some of you, and I have no desire to keep you here if you wish to leave. I yearn to make it clear to all of you, that you are accepted here." He paused momentarily. "In all my years, I have seen many gifted youngsters, just like all of you…" Gesturing to everyone around. "…Be persecuted, treated lesser than… killed even, simply, for existing. It has been my life's mission to provide an alternative to this. To show young Mutants that their lives matter just as much as anyone, even if they look different, or have conceivably dangerous potential. And I aim to help them, help you, all of you, understand your abilities and control your gifts."

Charles closed his eyes. He pondered everything he was saying, comparing it to the message he was seeking to communicate. His eyes reopened. Now with a certain look in them, a look that he was determined to articulate.

"The essence of what I wish to help all of you understand is that we, the gifted, and those who fear us, are the same. We are all the same. I believe that we can present the world with an improved concept of who we are. They do not understand. We… We can further their understanding, promote it. They are afraid, just as you are, just as I am. I have been terrified for the last thirty-three years. As frightening of a time as we are living in, it can't get better without us doing our part."

He tilted his head down and looked towards the ground. So many thoughts raced through his mind. Suddenly, a dream from many years ago resurfaced. He smiled as he tilted his head back to neutral and finally spoke again.

"I, like all of you am a Mutant. And Once upon a time, I had a dream… of a world where all Earth's children both Mutant and baseline Human, might live in peace. Today, in the aftermath of battling against each other, we now sit amongst one another, prepared to be allies, perhaps more, I would most certainly enjoy that. In 1980, some forty years ago, my back was injured, and I was told, under my own power, that I would never walk again. And so, it would seem if I am ever to achieve my dream, I will need all of you to carry me there. You stand together, better than before. And together we bring… hope."

Charles finished his dialogue and smiled at the group as he began to remove himself from the center of everyone's attention. In his chair, he nearly exited from the room before anyone spoke.

"Professor Xavier?" Ororo questioned.

He paused beside her and turned to look at her. Only then did he realize her glossy eyes, and the tear that ran down her face.

"Yes, Ororo." He answered.

"Professor, I would very much like to stay here and learn from you, as long as you would have me. The guidance you can offer to us would be invaluable. I desire, more than anything, to feel accepted…To feel safe… To feel at home." She paused a moment to dab at her teary eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. "I am so appreciative and so thankful for this opportunity. Thank you for accepting us, Professor."

Charles' eyes had also begun to tear up. He reached out and took her hand in both of his, as the two shared eye contact.

"Professor, if I may ask for one favor."

"How can I help?"

"I wish to return to Mutant Town. I must go back and see if anyone else survived. I owe it to them."

Charles ponded a moment and then offered a half-smile. "Why don't you get your rest today. This time tomorrow, you and a small team can go back for recovery."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Professor, I would like to extend my hand in that mission. That is, if it is okay with you, Ororo." Scott offered.

Ororo smiled and nodded in response. Charles turned his chair to face the room.

"Perfect. Tomorrow morning, Scott and Ororo will lead a small team for a recovery mission in Mutant Town.

"I'm in!" Hollered Madin

"Me too!" Bobby instantly added.

"Anyone el…" Charles began to ask but was abruptly cut short when Toad leaped out of the room and hopped down the hallway towards the stairs.

"It would seem Toad has declined.' Hank suggested.

# _________________________________________

"Hey Scott, I am going to head up to the pantry and see if I can find anything to snack on. Would you like me to grab you anything?" Offered Jean peaking her head into Alex's recovery room.

"No thanks." Scott declined, holding up half a bagel he took from the brunch meeting earlier in the day. Jean smiled and shut the door, keeping the handle turned as she quietly set the door back into its frame.

She began up the stairs towards the main floor of the Mansion. As she reached the top and turned the corner to head for the kitchen, Bobby busted out from behind a random door along the hall.

"RAWR!" He shouted.

Jean fell backward onto her butt from the surprise as Bobby began to hysterically laugh and do a little celebratory dance in the hallway. Jean sat on the floor with her hand on her chest. Bobby eventually finished his victory dance and extended his hand to help Jean back to her feet.

"I got you so good!" Bobby bragged.

Jean smiled and shoved Bobby and then continued towards the kitchen. "Hey Jean, you got a few minutes? I wanted to talk to you about something." Bobby asked, jogging to catch back up.

"After that prank, you have the audacity to ask me for something?" Jean quipped. "Anyway, I am just headed to the pantry, what's up?" She continued.

"Well… I'd like to ask your advice about something, but first I need to confess something else…" Bobby said nervously.

"If you are about to tell me you ate all of the toaster pastries, I am going to fight you!" Jean affirmed as she opened the pantry door and reached for the box.

Bobby laughed. "No, it's not that." His face turned serious again. "It is something more… real."

"You're lucky, there are still some in here...” She played tough. “Bobby, you know you can talk to me about anything. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is great… it's just that…" Bobby paused. He was scared to share what he was thinking with Jean. "You know that you're like an older sister to me, right?"

Jean answered with a smile and a nod as her mouth was full of toaster pastry.

"There is a secret I have kept hidden from all of you since I got here. I have only ever told one person in my whole life. And now with everything that has been going on, I need to get it out there… I need to get _out_ … there." Bobby paused again, hoping Jean would understand that hint. She just continued staring blankly at him and eating her pastry.

"Jean, I am gay!" Bobby shouted before looking around to see if there was anyone around that may have heard him.

"Okay?" Jean asked as if it was not a big deal.

Bobby squinted his eyes and raised his head at Jean. "You knew already! Did you… You read my mind!" He accused.

"Bobby no, it isn't like that at all. Plus, you know I made a promise to all of you that I would never intrude on any of your thoughts, like that."

"Then how did you know?" Bobby was still suspicious. His eyes even began to well up.

Jean could see the gloss forming in his eyes.

"Bobby, you just said it, I am like your sister… It didn't take being a telepath to catch on to that sort of thing."

"So, everyone knows?!"

"Bobby, no! I do not know who else knows. But I had questioned it about you for a while now

Bobby buried his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. He did not want Jean to see him tear up. Jean finally grabbed him by the shoulders pulling him in and wrapped her arms around him for a hug. She placed one hand on the back of his neck as she confirmed for him that it was all alright. After a few moments, she released her embrace and pulled away, keeping his triceps in her grasps.

"Bobby, so I was able to piece it together after years of being close with you. That does not mean this isn't huge. I am so happy for you, and so proud you decided to come out, especially to me."

Bobby smiled through his tears. Jean reached for his face and wiped away a tear that crawled down his cheek.

"You are still a member of this team, you are still my kid brother, and you are still Bobby Drake… the _coolest_ kid I know. You saw what I did there, right?"

Bobby laughed at Jean's pun. "Yeah, I saw it." He reached out and pulled her in for another hug. "Thank you, Jean. I love you."

"Love you too, Bobby. No matter what. No matter who…"

Bobby released his embrace and placed his hands on the countertop. He stared at his hands. He was relieved to finally tell someone but felt nearly drained from being burdened with the secret for so long.

"So?" Jean asked.

Bobby looked up to see her staring at him with a smile. It was an inquisitive smile. "So what?"

"Are you going to tell me about Madin or not?" Jean questioned and revealed at the same time.

Bobby's hand shot out in both directions horizontally as his jaw dropped. "How did you know!?"

"Oh, come on Bobby…" Jean finished the last bit of her pastry. "This is the first time I have seen you separate of him since we got back last night. And the way you volunteered for that rescue mission as soon as he did. You aren't fooling me, kid."

"How is it possible that while he was trying to, literally, kill me yesterday… All I could think was, gosh this man is so… I don't know…"

Jean laughed at Bobby's struggle to articulate. "Bobby's got a crush!"

"Hey shut up! Someone might hear you." Bobby stressed.

Jean continued laughing for a moment. "Alright, so what are you going to do about this?"

Bobby bit the inside of his pursed lips while his eyes wandered around the kitchen. "I don't know. I had not made it that far yet. What do you think I should do?"

Jean considered the question for a moment. "I think you should go for it. Tell him how you feel." Jean knew better than anyone this advice was far easier said than done, but she said it anyway.

"Do you think so? But what if he doesn't even stay? What if he decides to leave?"

Jean shrugged. "Well, at least you'll know you tried."

Bobby grinned. "You're right. I think I am going to talk to him about it. I will do it tomorrow when we get back."

"There ya go! You will have to tell me how it goes."

"Of course!" Bobby assured as he began to leave the kitchen. Just as he was about to break the threshold towards the hallway, he spun around on one foot to face Jean again.

"Thank you, Jean. I am so happy to have you for a sister."

Jean beamed at Bobby. "Anytime, kid."

"Oh, and Jean, I think you should go for it too."

Her smile faded to confusion as she speculated about what he might be saying. "Oh, come on Jean, it doesn't take a telepath to know." Bobby continued before retreating from the room in reverse.

Jean stood there alone in the kitchen. She pretended to be puzzled by what Bobby was saying to her. She was not fooling anyone but herself. Not that there was even anyone else to fool, she was unaccompanied. Bobby left, and now Jean had a million questions racing through her mind.

Was he talking about Scott? How did he know? How was he going to turn her advice against her? Did everyone know? Did Scott know? What if he does, why hasn't he said anything yet? Maybe he did not feel the same way. Bobby may have been trying to help, but now she was more scared than ever before to "go for it."

She began thinking about what it was that she even loved about him. She loved his strong jawline, and his messy side-parted hair, and his thin, lean body. She loved seeing him laugh at Bobby's dumb jokes. She loved his loyalty, his determination, and the way he always takes charge. She loved how at this very moment, he was sitting at his brother's side, even knowing that Alex resented him. Scott was the best man she had ever known.

She thought about all the times over the years when she was on the verge of breaking down, when she was scared, when she was lost and confused, and how Scott was always there. He did not always have the answers for her, but he would never leave until she found them. He was consistently there for her, no matter what, in times of need. She thought about all the late-night conversations they had from each of their respective bedrooms. She decisively and ultimately admitted to herself, maybe for the first time, that she cherished and adored Scott.

It made her sad, realizing how much time had truly passed and she never acted on her feelings. Scott was the first student in the school, followed a year later by Jean. They had known each other for seven years. In that time, neither of them had ever exposed their feelings for each other with one another, or anyone else. Maybe Bobby was right, she thought. Maybe now was the time, after all these wasted years, to try and see what could happen, to "go for it."

# _________________________________________

Aside from the team meeting in the late morning, Scott sat in his brother's recovery room all day. He was unsure if it was somewhere, he wanted to be, or somewhere he felt he should be. He knew how Alex felt about him. Ever since their plane crash as children, Alex had despised him, blaming Scott for the accident. Alex hated his brother for abandoning him after the crash. The shared disdain for Scott is what fueled Alex and Warren's bond.

Regardless of how Alex felt about him, Scott still cared about his brother. Scott was willing to do whatever was necessary to make amends with Alex if the opportunity ever arose. He was hopeful that the team's successful recovery mission would be a good start to reviving the brotherly love between the two. They were best friends as kids. They were inseparable and always looked out for one another. They had never been apart before the plane crash. Then they spent the next year or so apart.

Alex laid there asleep, resting from the illness that one of the Morlocks plagued him with. Despite everything he had been through the last few days, his dreams remained the same. He always dreamt of a life with "her". The two escaping the life that introduced them, and just living the good life. He missed her dearly. In his dreams, the two were in a relationship, even though she was several years older than him, and she viewed him more like her younger brother, in their waking lives. In these dreams, he was happy, the happiest he had ever been. Love stories could be written based on his dreams about Lorna Dane.

Alex desired desperately to kiss Lorna, but not even being in a happy relationship with her, in his dreams, did he ever achieve that kiss. It became a symbol to him that he was waking, anytime he would get close to kissing her. He would try to resist waking, and ultimately fail, every time. He would enter that state of still being asleep yet being completely conscious of the outside world around him. He would squeeze his eyes shut and plead for the dream to continue long enough for him to get his kiss. It never worked.

In this dream, the two stood atop a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. During their shared time in Scotland, Lorna took him there on a few occasions. For that reason, along with the beautiful view, this was Alex's favorite location in the world. The two stood embraced, ignoring the scenery around them. Instead, they had their eyes on each other. Dream Lorna was just as gorgeous as real Lorna. Alex adored her shoulder-length green hair, her big green eyes, her palish skin, and most of all, he loved her sassy smirk. The two began to lean closer and closer. This is it, Alex thought to himself.

Just as their lips would press together, his eyes opened, and he peered around the room. He panicked for a moment trying to figure out where he was. It was not very often he found himself in one of the recovery rooms in the medics' station. In his lost gaze around the room, he noticed his brother Scott, sat in a chair beside him. His head was bobbing, as he struggled to stay awake.

"What… the hell are we doing down here?" Alex inquired to his groggy brother.

At the sound of Alex's voice, Scott jolted completely awake and his head swung into the upright position so fast that he nearly left his rose-tinted glasses behind. After he gathered his wits he smiled, seeing that his brother was finally awake.

"Well… You endured quite a bit of punishment this weekend. Hank and Jean gave you some medication to cure the illness one of those Morlocks gave you. Then they went in and repaired your injured shoulder." Scott informed.

"What time is it? What day is it?"

Scott looked down at his wristwatch. "quarter til sixteen hundred, Monday evening."

"I slept for that long… Woah!" He paused for a moment raising his hand to feel the scar from his stab wound in his shoulder inflicted by Marrow's bone spear. "What? How is this already closed and scarred?"

"Hank and Jean are fairly good at this medic stuff, I'd say. They used a machine that repaired your injury from the inside out. It was a cauterization process." Scott informed Alex with an anguished expression.

Alex returned the look. "How is everyone else doing? Did everyone make it back okay?"

"I knew you'd ask. Warren didn't do so well."

"What?! Is he alright? Where is he?"

"He will, in time, be fine. He is currently in another recovery room. He suffered a lot of damage as well…" Scott hesitated to tell Alex the worst of it. He put his hands together and then turned his right in his left rolling his knuckles through his opposite palm and then continued. "His wing was the true casualty. He had an open wound, and it was infected. Once in his bloodstream, the toxin raced through his wing, and tried to reach his body at an alarming rate."

"So, what did Hank and Jean do? Did they do like they did with my shoulder?"

"Alex, they had to amputate his wing."

Alex wore the face of someone who just saw a ghost. He felt sick, not like the plague he suffered the day before, but more like he was going to throw up. He felt so sorry for his closest friend. The anxiety began to rage in his body, and his cheeks welled up as his eyes turned glossy.

"Everyone else is good? Tell me everyone else made it alright!" Alex was growing increasingly impassioned.

"Yes, Jean had a close call but ultimately came out fine. Bobby, Hank, and I all made it out alright. Ororo, Leech, Madin, and Toad are doing well, also."

Alex stared at the wall for a moment and then turned his head, squinting his eyes. He was trying to think if he knew who the hell his brother was talking about.

"Who the f…" And then it hit him. He remembered who Ororo was. He had spoken to her during his Morlock incarceration. "No, no… no! Please tell me you didn't bring Morlocks back here!"

"Alex, they weren't all bad. In fact…"

"In fact what, Scott? You saw what they did to me! Warren lost his wing! They took down that News helicopter! They did all of that and you brought them into our school? Into our home? Just when I start to think you might have changed, you go and do the stupidest thing I have ever heard of!"

"Alex, you are being irrational."

"And you are being brainless! Like, I could almost understand Ororo… But those other ones… Scott, they tried to kill us! Damnit!"

Scott stood from his chair ready to let loose and yell at Alex. Instead, he took a deep breath and replied. "They were following orders from Callisto. They are just like us. Young Mutants who need a place to go, we provided that to them."

"All I hear is blah blah blah, Scott. Dude, how is it possible you could make the wrong decision every single time it matters? How do you do that, Scott?"

"What are you talking about?"

Alex made a sarcastic face and then raised his hands to count on his fingers. "Hmmm... Let's see. You freakin' left me behind when we were kids, you left me behind this weekend, and now you brought enemies back here! Jeez Scott, at least when you abandoned me as kids there weren't people actively trying to kill me around." Alex rolled his eyes.

"How can you be so entitled? You weren't always this way!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Alex, up until that plane crash, up until we lost Mom and Dad, we were best friends! We did everything together…"

"Right, and then you abandoned me!" Alex screamed.

"I did not abandon you. Our parachute was failing, and I literally cut myself loose from it, so you'd be safe. When I cut loose, I fell and hit every branch of a hemlock and then slammed into the ground. I have told you this before. Get it through your thick head and get over yourself… you were not abandoned."

"None of that explains how you left me again this weekend."

"Alex! You aren't listening!" Scott raged.

Before he knew it, he was in Alex's face grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Scott could see a level of fear in Alex's eyes. He was defenseless against his brother in this moment. Scott released his grasp on Alex's shirt and backed away. He turned around and pressed the palms of his hands against the wall and leaned in until his forehead was resting on the wall also. He considered all the things he could say to his younger brother at this moment. He thought of apologizing for everything, he thought of screaming at him. Finally, he pushed off the wall and spun around to face Alex again. He saw the aggression on Alex's face. He stared into his eyes and he could see the torment and depression. Just like Scott, Alex had lost everything he was ever comfortable with. It was not Alex's fault he handled it differently than his older brother.

"Alex, I am sorry you feel this way. I am. I hate this is where our relationship is. You are my brother, and when I lost you along with Mom and Dad that day, just like when I thought I lost you this weekend, it broke my heart."

"Well, you…" Alex tried to interrupt but was immediately cut off.

"Alex listen! You were never abandoned. And as far as bringing those Morlocks here, I do not need to explain myself to you. They are Mutants just like you, and me. Just like Jean, just like Warren. I am justified in my actions, and they have been welcomed by the Professor."

"Well, maybe Professor Xavier is wrong just like you!"

Scott nearly lost his cool at that statement. He considered being found by Charles Xavier to be the best day of his life. Xavier had done so much for him, as well as Alex. Scott stared at his brother with a face of incomprehension. He could not wrap his mind around Alex's ignorance. Scott shook his head and walked to the door. He grabbed the handle and then turned to look at Alex.

"Don't you ever speak down about the Professor again!" Scott asserted before swinging the door open and walking out.

# _________________________________________

Meanwhile in the mansion television room, sat Bobby, Jean, Madin, and Ororo. Jean in a chair by herself, Ororo across from her in another chair, leaving Bobby and Madin to share the couch. Ororo was telling her life story to the others. She had lived quite the life up to that point. Bobby, Jean, and even Madin were all surprised to learn that her mother was the princess of a tribe in Kenya. They were even more shocked to learn that she was orphaned at six years old when her parents died in a terrorist attack.

"Last night, Professor X mentioned your accent. When did you go to Cairo?" Inquired Bobby.

"Well, after my parents were killed, I fled from Kenya and found myself there. Cairo is where I did most of my growing up. I was taken in by a terrible man. He raised me and trained me to be a thief."

"Woah! Fo' real? You were in the streets robbin' people?" Asked Madin. "How is it I never knew any of this about you?" He continued.

"There is a lot I chose not to say around the Morlocks. Until I found myself answering to Callisto, my time in Cairo was the most regrettable time of my life."

"YAAS KWEEN! I heard that!" Agreed Madin. Bobby chuckled.

"At least those times are over, and you have been granted another opportunity to live a better life." Jean reassured.

"I could not have said it better myself; I am grateful for all of you. I only wish we could have come together under different circumstances."

As the group continued chatting, Hank and Forge entered the room together.

"Hey kids, you wouldn't mind if we turn on _WZVR NEWS,_ would you? They are doing a ‘Tell-all’ with the news guys you saved last night." Spoke Forge.

"Seriously? Already?" Jean was stunned.

"Oh Jeez, what do you think they are going to say?" Asked Bobby nervously.

"I bet they finna tear us Morlocks apart!" Speculated Madin. Bobby's expression shared Madin's concern.

Hank stood behind Jean leaning with his arms placed on the back of her chair. Forge obliviously took a seat on the couch right in between Bobby and Madin. As soon as he squeezed in between the two, Bobby shot Jean a look, to which she responded with a laugh.

Forge aimed the remote control at the television and turned on the talk show that would feature the Morlock victims.

"They are skipping all the nonsense tonight and focusing solely on this tell-all." Forge informed the rest of the group.

Hank stood quietly. He was doing his best to keep it in, but he was falling apart on the inside. He had spent the entirety of his adult life trying to fly under the radar, to just get by. Anytime he had ever put himself out there, he was rejected. This rejection was based on nothing more than his odd appearance. What were these News guys going to say about him and the other Mutants? Mutants, bleh. The word itself disgusted him. Almost as much as waking up and facing himself in the mirror every day and seeing what the whole world could see. A grotesque animal of a man.

As the show was beginning, Jean heard loud footsteps in the main corridor. She turned her head just in time to see Scott marching by towards the stairs.

"Hey, Scott! A few of us are watching an interview with those News guys, if you'd like to join, you are more than welcome." Jean invited.

"No thanks." He hollered from the hall without stopping or looking back.

Jean could hear the agitation in his voice. She sunk in her chair a bit as she sniffled and let out an emotional sigh. She wondered what she was going to have to do to reach the place she so desperately wanted to be with Scott. Her eyes flickered toward Bobby who was already staring at her. Upon eye contact, he offered an optimistic smile. She forced a smile in return.

"Please help me welcome New York and _WZVR_ 's very own survivors, helicopter pilot, Ricky McAdams, and camera operator Donovan Z…" The talk show host paused as a member of production ran on set and whispered in his ear. "Apologies, it will just be Ricky McAdams joining us tonight!" He continued.

He stood up from his chair and joined the live studio audience in applaud as Ricky made his way on set. As the man walked out, it was clear to see the pain he was in just from walking. He had a bandage on his cheek to cover the stitches he had received.

"Let me be the first to say, Mr. McAdams, welcome back to the world and boy are we glad to have you!" Voiced the enthusiastic host as he extended his hand to shake.

"Thank you! Happy to be here." Ricky tried to match his enthusiasm. He then reached out and shook the host's hand.

"I have to ask, where is Donovan? I thought you would both be joining me tonight."

"He was here a little while ago. We were in catering before the show and some guy approached us. He was hoping we would speak down on Mutants after what we had been through. I was uninterested in doing that, but Donovan left with the guy."

"Wait… This guy was in the studio?"

"Yes, he walked right up to us. I thought he was here as another guest on tonight's show."

The host looked very confused. "Did you get this guy's name?"

"Well, he did give me his business card." Ricky said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the bent card.

"Why don't you hold that up for the camera to see." Requested the host.

"Sure." Ricky leaned forward holding the card into the camera. It took a moment for the card to come into focus.

"Friends of Humanity: Founder & President, Graydon Creed." Bobby read the card out loud.

"Security, please be on the lookout for a Graydon Creed." Requested the host. "Anyway, Mr. McAdams, I am extremely interested in hearing your story and picking your brain. But, by all means, please let me know if I go too far."

"Of course." Said Ricky with a polite smile."

"Alright, let me jump right into the deep end here. How did the two of you escape?"

"Well… those Morlocks had us imprisoned underground, along with another guy. He was a Mutant too."

"They had one of their own locked up? Or was he a prisoner of the Mutant War?"

"Neither. He was part of the X-Men. They were the ones that saved us." Ricky's eyes lit up; he was genuinely enthusiastic to speak about the X-Men.

"Hold on. There was another group of Mutants that came and rescued you? "

"Yes."

"And they are called "The X-Men?"

"Yes."

"What does the X stand for?"

"Something about e _x_ tra powers or something, I think."

"Hm. Alright, so you guys were being kept underground, and then these X-Men showed up and liberated you. Then what?"

"Well first, one of the Morlocks, the one who controls the weather turned on the leader, Callisto, and helped the X-Men. After that, giant robots showed up, and…"

Suddenly, the television screen went black, and then color bars came on the screen. Across the bottom of the screen in scrolling text, it read " _We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please stay tuned. We will be right back._ "

"Someone does not wish for knowledge of the raid by the Sentinels' to become public, it would seem." Suggested Hank.

"Oh my gosh, I bet you're right!" Agreed Bobby.

Just then, the show popped back on. "Sorry about that, viewers at home, just some technical issues. Alright, Ricky, where were we? Oh, that's right, the X-Men grabbed you and Donovan, and then what happened?"

Ricky looked around nervously before answering. "Then they regrouped, and we all boarded their jet. They dropped us off at the hospital on their way home." Ricky swallowed awfully hard when he was done speaking.

"And that was it for the X-Men? Who were they? Where were they going? Do you remember anything about them?

"I am not sure who they are, or where they were going? I am just grateful they came." Ricky took a long pause, visibly pondering, trying to come up with a satisfying response. "One of them did mention their teacher."

"Teacher?" Asked the host. "Are the X-Men a bunch of Children?"

"No, no. It was a Professor. He was talking to one of his teammates. I heard him say the name "Professor Xavier."

Without warning the television went dark again and then the color bars returned with the same message as last time, scrolling along the bottom.

"Oh man, that can't be good!" Bobby clamored.

Everyone in the room exchanged looks of concern. What would this mean now that the Professor's name was out there? Would people come searching for them?

"Do you think that we are in danger?" Questioned Bobby, looking at Jean and Hank.

"I fear the word danger is an understatement, Bobby." Hank commented stepping back from his spot over Jean, lingering for a moment with his head hung low, and then he turned and disappeared from the room. Everyone else watched as he left.

# _________________________________________

When the television show shut off for the second time, a team of armed security came and escorted Ricky off the set. Once they were out of sight of the cameras and audience a burlap sack was placed over Ricky's head and his hands were bound behind his back. He was forced into the backseat of a black car. There was complete silence for the length of the drive. After nearly an hour the car stopped. He heard the door to his right open and someone sat down next to him in the car.

"Psst... Ricky, it's me, Donovan."

"Donovan, what the hell is going on?" Ricky cried.

"Listen, Ricky, they are about to take us inside. I already told them everything I know. You gotta do the same."

"Who are they? Why are they doing this?" Ricky asked fearfully.

"Just tell them everything they want to know, Ricky" Demanded Donovan before he left the vehicle. It sounded more like he was pulled out than he had chosen to get out on his own.

Ricky was yanked from the backseat of the car next. Once upright a person was standing on both sides of him. They grabbed his arms and led him up some stairs and inside of a building. Once inside they forced him to turn left into another room. As they entered Ricky heard the conversation in the room come to an abrupt stop. He felt something touch the back of his legs, and then he was forced to sit down on a folding chair. Ricky did not resist or put up any struggle.

"Go ahead and take that stupid thing off!" He heard from across the room.

Ricky just continued to sit there.

"Ricky, I am talking to you. Unless you want to keep that bag on your head." Spoke the voice again.

Only then did Ricky realize that his hands were no longer bound. He reached up and grabbed ahold of the burlap sack and yanked it from his head. Ricky had no idea what to expect, but what he saw was far from anything he would have imagined. He was in a very fancy living room. It was brightly lit, the walls had photos of family belonging to whoever's house this was. The furniture was beautiful, but not outdone by the golden chandelier hanging over the hand-crafted coffee table.

The bright room was tough to see in after being trapped in that dark sack for so long. After his eyes finally adjusted, he noticed the people that were sitting around him. He looked across the room to the voice that directed him to take off the sack.

"Senator Kelly?!" Ricky was shocked to see a New York Senator sitting in front of him.

With a sly grin, the Senator responded. "That would be me. Please welcome…" He gestured to his left. "… Bolivar Trask." Then to his right, seated on the lavish sofa, next to Donovan. "I believe you briefly met Mr. Graydon Creed earlier this evening."

Ricky stared around the extravagant and kind of gaudy room. First glaring at Donovan and then the powerful figures that accompanied him, completely speechless. He had no idea what to say to any of these people. He had no idea what they wanted from him.

"Hello, Mr. McAdams." Greeted Bolivar Trask.

Ricky was shaking in his seat. "Look I don't know what you guys want from me."

"Oh, don't you worry about that Mr. McAdams. I will tell you exactly what we want." Bolivar said, almost threateningly.

"Okay."

"I mean, really, it is something I have wanted for quite some time now. Something I believed I'd accomplished, thirty or so years ago."

"What is that?"

"Have you ever heard of the Human/Mutant Debate that took place in Genosha in 1996, Mr. McAdams?"

"No, sir."

"What a shame. In 1996, I flew to the tiny, putrid island country of Genosha, off the Western Coast of Africa to participate in a debate. The subject of said debate was Human and Mutant relations. My opponent, I believe you know of him, was… Professor Charles Xavier." Trask snarled as he spoke the name.

"What happened?" Asked Ricky.

"Things got out of hand; chaos ensued. Xavier and the leader of Genosha both tried to attack me, using their powers. I was rushed off stage, escorted to my jet, and quickly returned to New York. In the violence, I believed that Charles Xavier along with Genosha's "brave" leader, had died. I had no reason to believe otherwise. For almost twenty-five years, I believed this Mutant problem was over! And then after the Avengers failed, and Thanos snapped away half of existence… my wife, my children, my parents… they were all gone!" Trask was nearly yelling at this point as he inched closer and closer towards Ricky.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir." Spoke Ricky in a soft tone.

"But do you know who reemerged when everyone else was gone? Do you know who popped back up and showed their ugly little faces, when all was lost? MUTANTS!" Trask screamed in Ricky's face.

Ricky did his best to avoid eye contact as Trask leaned over to him sticking his face in his own. Ricky could feel Trask's breath on his face, with every exhale. Finally, Trask leaned away and settled down before speaking again.

"My family has since returned to this world… back to me. Thank God for that. But the Mutant threat still hangs over our heads. You should know this better than anyone. You and Mr. Zane here were simply doing your jobs when you were attacked by them. Am I wrong? Have I made a mistake?"

"No, sir."

"Yet, you dare to go on live national television and speak highly of these Mutants?!"

Senator Kelly pushed up on the arms of his chair as he went over to settle down Trask. He directed him back to his chair before retaking his seat crossing his right leg over the top of his left knee as he grabbed his eyeglasses by the frames and cleaned off the lenses on his untucked dress shirt. He raised them back to his face.

"Much better. Now, Mr. McAdams, please allow me to explain the issue at hand. These Mutants have been around for an exceedingly long time, doing their best to remain hidden in our world. However, the Mutant epidemic is growing out of control. These creatures are dangerous. Together, Mr. Trask, Mr. Creed, and I have allied, so that we and all of Humanity are prepared to take on these Mutants."

Trask lifted himself from his chair once more as he began to speak. "You asked before what we want. My answer to that question is quite simple… Mutant Eradication!"

** Chapter VI **

Tuesday

Hank entered his gardening shed and set his basket full of fresh vegetables down on the workbench, next to his coffee mug, before removing his gloves. He took a step back outside and grabbed ahold of the end of the hose with the sprinkler attachment, and disconnected it before hanging it from a nail sticking out of the wall above the workbench. Then he grabbed his basket and half-empty mug of lukewarm coffee and headed towards the mansion. Gardening was one of Hank's favorite hobbies, but not even that could raise his spirits.

Everything that had been going on this past weekend was only the icing on top of the depressing life he had lived. After years and years of being hated for the way he looks, being hated for, simply existing, he had reached the same conclusion as Humanity. Hank hated himself. He wanted nothing more than to be normal and to feel accepted. He wanted to not have to wear long sleeves and force his body to stand upright when out in public to hide who he is. Hank had a brilliant mind and when he was younger, he tried on numerous occasions to utilize it alongside some of the other greatest minds in the world. Time after time he was rejected and ridiculed. Not because his work was not on par with his colleagues, but for being a Mutant.

He was unwilling to admit it, but Hank sometimes had thoughts about the conflict that arose during the Human/Mutant debates of '96. He sometimes wished he had been close enough, for long enough to have been affected by the Legacy Virus canister that was dropped. Thousands of Mutants lost their gifts that day. Their mutations were reversed. Hundreds of Mutants even died. Hank wished one of those fates upon himself. He was willing to do anything, short of suicide, to change who he was.

Hank moved at a slow pace, with his head down. As he entered the mansion through the side door into the kitchen his silent morning was disturbed.

"Good morning, Hank. Anything good from the garden, today?" Greeted and inquired Professor Xavier.

"’It is a serious thing – just to be alive – on this fresh morning – in this broken world'. The poet Mary Oliver wrote that. I often find myself contemplating." Answered Hank.

"And your thoughts?"

"Ms. Oliver provides us with the answer in the conclusion of her work, '…It could mean something. It could mean everything. It could be what Rilke meant when he wrote: 'You must change your life.' The query I make, is not what does it mean, rather, how may I change my own life, flourishingly." Hank expounded as he set his basket on the dining table and took a seat across from Charles.

"Hank, you and I have been close friends for many years, have we not?" Charles rhetorically asked. Hank nodded in agreement anyway.

"You came to me many years ago. You were desperately troubled, and you sought out my help. I have always been here for you, as your friend, and your mentor. Hank, if you are unsettled, please let me in. I will gladly share your burden."

Hank broke eye contact. Looking down at the table, he took a deep breath pondering how to say what he felt to his closest friend. He could feel a coldness come over his body as an uncontrollable shiver began. Hank's eyes flicked back to Charles and then shot away again. He rested his arms on the table for a moment before raising one to his face.

Charles reached out and grabbed Hank's wrist. "Hank shares this pain. You don't have to bear it alone." Charles reassured.

Hank licked his lips and then raised his head to face Charles. For a moment, the two held eye contact and Charles watched as a tear ran down Hank's cheek escaping one of his glossy eyes.

"Charles, for the entirety of my life… We have experienced and suffered through so much… loathing and discrimination. They hate us!" Hank cried out. "When I arrived on your doorstep all those years ago, you welcomed me, and you taught me how to manage the hate and the pain that comes along with it. However, when you spend your entire life being called a monster, sooner or later, you begin believing yourself to be one. Charles, none of them could ever abhor me comparably to the degree that I abhor myself."

"Hank, you do not hate yourself…"

"… Yes, I do, Charles!" Hank interrupted. "I have dreamt of a life where I got you off that stage and stayed to ingest the Legacy virus myself. A life where my mutations would cease to exist, and I could be normal. Where I could be highly regarded for my intellect and accepted by other scientists."

"Don't say that Hank. Do not wish for that. So many Mutants were lost that day, including one of my oldest and dearest friends. You know this, Hank. How could you wish that for yourself?" Charles asked angrily. "You are better than this. To appreciate oneself, you cannot dwell in the negative thoughts other people have of you. There is nothing worthy of note in your negativity, in particular. Everyone, Mutant, or not has things that other people will not like about them. What can we do about them?"

"There is nothing we can do." Answered Hank.

"You're the most intelligent person I know, Hank. Possibly that I have ever known. I would have expected you to answer that question differently."

"I am afraid I do not understand." Hank said, confused.

"There is something we can do. We accept ourselves. You must respect yourself. Ignore your perceived negative qualities. Focus instead on your work, your books, your garden. Focus on educating and mentoring the other five that are upstairs asleep. If any one of those things is something you do not enjoy doing, please notify me now, and we can make arrangements.

Surrendering to someone else's plan for you is not how you recover from this. You are a Mutant, Hank. You are a good Mutant. I may have taught you some things years ago, but you teach the others new things every day, myself included. You are regarded highly by all of them. Now imagine if they did not have you. Personally, I fear the idea of not having Hank McCoy at this Institute for Gifted Youngsters. They need you; we all do. Alright, Hank?" Charles concluded his spiel.

Hank's face was full of emotion. You could almost see the conflict as Charles' words fought away the way he had been feeling. He reached up and scratched an itch on his cheek and began to smile, then placed his hand on Charles' hand that was still on his own wrist. Hank stood from his chair and leaned over Charles and embraced him.

"Thank you, Charles."

"Thank you… for letting me in." Charles smiled.

# _________________________________________

On Monday afternoon, Scott put out the word for the recovery team to meet at half past eleven in the hangar. Bobby and Madin were the last two to arrive. The only possessions that Madin and Ororo owned, were the clothes that they arrived in on Sunday night, so Bobby and Jean both gave their training gear to them. Bobby was kind of excited to be wearing his field gear again so soon.

"Man, I love this uniform. What do you think Madin? Pretty _cool_?

"HA! Shut up Snowman! I 'preciate you letting me bum your old gear… Even if the conclusion I am drawing from these tight pants is a shame." Teased Madin.

Bobby turned his head in confusion before it hit him what Madin was saying. "Hey man! Not cool. I have been wearing that gear for years. There… There is a reason they call me Bobby D!" Bobby squabbled.

"Bobby, no one has ever called you that." Scott interjected. "Alright let’s get to it."

"Has anyone seen Toad?" Asked Ororo.

"Pfft. You saw the way he hopped on out that meeting the other day. He ain't comin' Mom." Madin assumed.

"Mom?" Questioned Ororo, looking back at Madin.

"Absolutely not!" She asserted.

"HAHA! Just some slang fer ya!" Explained Madin. "Anyway, spill the T, Sike?"

Everyone stood quietly for a moment, as no one knew who Madin was speaking to. After another moment Scott realized that Madin was staring at him.

"Was that directed toward me? What did you even just say?"

"Spill the T! Man, you know what I'm tryna say… like, share the gossip." Madin tried to explain. Scott still was not getting it.

"Still no? C'mon Sike, yer killin' me!" Madin straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "What I am _trying_ to say is, tell us what you have to say, and let's get this shindig on the road." Madin said with his best impression of an of his idea of an educated person. "Jeeez, White people! Am I right?" Madin joked. Bobby laughed for a second before wondering if he should have found that offensive or not.

Scott glared at Madin with a stern look before flashing a brief grin. "Alright, now that we have gotten all of… whatever that was out of the way. Before we head out to Mutant Town here is the rundown. We are leaving at half past thirteen hundred. The professor is giving us four hours, with check-ins every hour, on the hour. We are to be back here by no later than sixteen hundred."

Madin raised his hand to ask a question. Bobby leaned over and whispered four o'clock." in his ear, to which Madin smiled and pointed at him with a finger gun.

"Before we go, let's get our comms on and do a radio check." Ordered Scott.

Bobby put in his earpiece and spoke into the radio. "Boy scout this is Snowman, radio check."

"Lima Charlie." Scott replied.

Madin froze in place, his jaw nearly resting on the floor.

"What's the problem, Madin?" Scott inquired.

"What in the blue hell are you two on about?"

"Oh, you mean you don't understand Military jargon? Teased Scott. "I guess that makes us even… Dawg!"

Madin's eyes widened and lit up as Bobby and Ororo shared a laugh. "Man, you white people is crazy! C'mon and tell me what all them words mean."

The four members of the recovery team finished their radio checks and continued getting everything in order. With a few minutes until twelve, they all boarded the X-Jet. Scott and Bobby took the pilot and co-pilot's chairs, respectively, while Ororo and Madin strapped in behind them. Up until Scott took his seat with his back to Ororo, he had noticed her silently watching his every move, as if she were studying him. He did not believe her to be a threat, but it was an observation he made and would keep in mind.

The X-Jet started up and they taxied out of the hanger. Once outside they lifted from the ground and ascended into the afternoon sky en route to Mutant Town for search and rescue operations.

# _________________________________________

Warren had been asleep from Jean's mental sedation for a day and a half. Jean knew that amount of time was excessive, but she also knew that Warren needed the rest, and if she was being honest, she was fearful of the rage that would come with waking him. As she prepared to wake him, she secured him with arm and leg restraints to keep him in place. She anxiously stood at the end of his bed staring at him lying there peacefully. She wondered to herself if this would be the last time, she would ever see him at peace.

As she moved around the side of the bed to stand closer to his face, she nervously bit her lip. Her brow furrowed, forming wrinkles on her forehead. She reached out and touched his face, holding his cheek, from his jawline to his cheekbone in her hand. From there her hand skimmed up his face and ran through his long blonde hair. Jean always adored his hair. As much as she detested his personality, maybe more than, she thought he was a beautiful man. She bit the inside of her cheek and made a snap decision, she hinged over him and kissed him on the forehead, idling momentarily with her lips pressed to his face.

As she stood upright again, her eyes closed, and her right hand rose to her temple. She unlocked the door inside his mind and ended his mental sedation. Her eyes opened and she looked down at him. She was scared, nervous, and hopeful all wrapped into one. She waited there, staring at him for as many ticks of the clock as she could handle before she began to walk around his bed towards the door. Just as she reached for the door, she heard his voice.

"Jean…" His eyes had just flickered open in time to see her before she left.

Jean smiled as she turned around to face him. "Yes Warren, I am here. How do you feel?"

After a few deep breaths, Warren responded. "I feel like I got my wing chopped off and dragged through Hell and back." Despite the words coming from his mouth, he managed to crack a smile. "How is it… I am the one they call Angel when I am looking at my Guardian Angel, right now?" He continued flirtatiously.

Jean blushed as she smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "That must be the drugs talking."

"I couldn't be any more serious, Jean. It's your angelic face. The most beautiful I have ever seen." Warren continued with the compliments.

"Oh, you think so, huh? Even more beautiful than your own?" Jean teased as she began undoing the restraints on his legs.

"Mine is a close second." He flashed his arrogant smirk.

"Fair enough. What makes mine so special?" She asked as she undid his first arm restraint.

With his newly freed hand, he immediately reached for her face and traced the trail of freckles that ran across her cheek, over her nose, and then across the other cheek, with his fingers. "These freckles are a good start."

She was leaned over him undoing the other arm restraint, inadvertently positioning their faces only a few inches apart. After touching her freckles, his hand descended to her chin and he turned her face to face his. They were so close now their noses were nearly touching.

"Your gorgeous green eyes do a pretty good job too." He admitted as the two remained face to face for what felt like an eternity. Now with both hands, he slid them to the backside of her neck and began to pull her closer. He tilted his head a tiny bit to kiss her. Just before their lips could touch, she leaned her mouth away, pressing her forehead against his.

"Warren, stop." She asserted.

"I'm sorry, Jean. What's wrong?"

"This… it just isn't right. I am going to leave you to rest a while longer. We will get you moved back up to your room in a few hours." Jean started to turn for the door.

"Jean, I'm sorry!"

She turned and faced him once more, offering him a half-smile. "It's alright, Warren. Get some rest." And then she turned back to the door.

She felt a lot of emotions swirling inside her as she began to make her exit. She grabbed the handle. If she were being honest, she lusted for Warren, but she loved Scott. She pushed down, twisting the latch loose, and pulled the door open. And then in an instant, the door slammed shut. She looked up from the handle to see an arm reaching over her, hand firmly pressed to the door.

"This is because of him, isn't it?" Warren questioned as he grabbed ahold of the inside of her arm and spun her around with his other hand. She pressed herself flat against the door, to create as much distance as she could.

"Him?"

"Don't mess around, Jean! It's the boy scout, isn't it?

Warren was demanding an answer.

She let her eyes drift from eye contact as her gaze fell to the floor. She knew exactly what he meant.

He touched her face and tried to lift it to look at him, the same way he did when he was still on the bed. She fought it this time. He jerked his hand away and then slammed his other back onto the door.

"Damnit Jean, Answer me!"

She squeezed her eyes shut. She thought of screaming, but no one would hear. Forge had just accompanied Alex back to his room, most of the others were gone on the recovery mission. She considered mentally sedating him again, but she felt guilty enough for doing that the first time. Instead, she slipped around him back into the room. She may have no longer been near the exit, but at least she was no longer pinned against the wall.

With her on the opposite side of him now, facing his back, he pulled off his hospital gown, exposing the surgical scar on his back where his wing used to emanate from. Jean began to cry.

"Warren I am so sorry for your wing."

He turned around. "Never mind that! Why won't you answer the question?" He shouted.

When he turned it exposed his cut torso. She closed her eyes. "Yes, Warren, it's about him! It has always been about him. I love him!" She finally admitted.

Warren shook his head, before running his hands through his hair to push it out of his face. "God, you're such a tease. You have been since the day I met you."

"What are you talking about?" She questioned.

"What am I talking about? You know exactly what I am talking about! Always with your bullshit. You have been leading the two of us on for years. I almost feel sorry for him. You were messing with his heart long before I arrived!"

"I don't know why you're saying that."

"I was here for one day, and you were practically ready to throw yourself at me. Then Thanos snapped his fingers and I was gone for five years. Guess what still didn't happen in that time… You and Scott. We all see it. We all know you love him! But neither of you are capable of saying anything. So, while you tug on his heartstrings, you play these little mind games with me. You remember the night I came back, don't you?"

"Don't talk about that!" She commanded.

"Oh, you want to forget the night you kissed an Angel, huh? You couldn't keep your hands off of me.

"See, this is why you and I could never happen. Why a kiss is all you ever got from me. You're an arrogant prick!"

"Arrogant? At least I have the confidence to go after what I want! Where is your little boy scout anyway? I would enjoy if he were a part of this conversation too."

"He is on a recovery mission in Mutant Town." She informed.

"Another one? Who'd he leave behind this time?"

Jean recognized Warren's ignorance about the new team members. She figured this could be her moment to return fire for how much of a jerk he was being.

"None of us were left behind. Ororo requested to go back to find any remaining Morlocks."

Warren's anger dissipated. He was now expressing confusion. "Ororo? Morlocks?" He questioned.

"Oh… Yeah. You don't remember them coming back with us? They are a part of the team now!" She knew that would hurt.

"What?! Who made that decision?"

"The boy scout of course." Jean replied condescendingly.

Warren's eyes shut, and his emotion began to transform. The blend of rage and arrogance was gone. He looked hurt, just as Jean had intended. His expression continued evolving though. Warren felt betrayed. He was suffering.

"Why? Why would you welcome them after what they did to us? After what they did to me! I lost one of my wings because of them, I am useless now!" He cried out as he staggered backward and sank to the floor with his back against the door.

Jean instantly regretted what she had said. She was not usually one to take cheap shots, and the one time she did, she immediately felt bad for it.

"They began the process and you finished it. You took my wings! You took the only thing I had left in this world!" Warren continued.

Jean tiptoed closer and then took a knee right in front of him. "Warren, I am sorry. I genuinely hate what has happened to you."

"You hate it!? How do you think I feel?" Warren had his head tilted down and he buried his hands deep into his long hair. "Why would you bring them here?"

"They are Mutants, just the same as us. They were misguided, and Professor Xavier, along with all of us can help them."

"Misguided?! They took down a News helicopter. They kidnapped Alex. One of them tried to electrocute you. But of course, I am the only one with any lasting damage, so who cares? Let's all be friends, right!?" Warren was breaking down before Jean's eyes.

"Warren, I'm sorry you feel this way." She placed her hands on both of his shoulders. He quickly swatted her hands away and got to his feet. As she stood, he took her by the shoulders and spun her ninety degrees to the right slamming her body against the wall. Jean looked into his bloodshot eyes, with bags underneath.

"Warren! Let go of me!" Jean shouted.

"Fine…" And then he let go. He backed away and turned another ninety degrees and left her there, alone in his recovery room."

Jean collapsed onto the floor against the wall, in tears. She laid there on her side, her hair fallen into her face, audibly crying. Was she really the terrible person he had made her out to be? Was she really that awful? She had never intended to lead him on. She never meant to lead either of them on. How could this have happened like this?

Warren was such an asshole and so full of himself most of the time, how was she to know he wanted more from her. She had lusted over Warren since the day she met him… but she loved Scott since they were kids.

Warren was a jerk before, but she had not seen that anger come out of him. Losing his wing changed him, and understandably so… but that did not excuse his behavior in her opinion.

She climbed back to her feet with the help of the footboard of the hospital bed. She stared at the place where Warren previously laid asleep. She had been right in her assessment before he woke. That was the last time she’d ever see him at peace.

"I'm sorry, Warren. You poor tortured soul." She wiped her teary eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and left the room.

# _________________________________________

A few minutes until seventeen hundred, the recovery team should be back any minute. Scott called in to Professor Xavier and requested a one-hour time extension at approximately thirteen o' six. They had found something but needed more time. Charles, Hank, Forge, Jean, and Leech all gathered in the hangar to greet the team upon their return. Of course, Charles already knew the result of the search, but he was remaining tight-lipped.

"What is with that Toad, guy?" Asked Forge. "He doesn't want to be here for the recovery team's arrival? "

"I'd speculate not. When requested to join the recovery team, his response was to simply… bounce away, down the hall." Answered Hank.

"Toad has been that way ever since I met him. Callisto used to tell him to stop being a coward." Leech interjected.

This was the first time Leech had spoken to any members of the X-Men since he arrived. He was just a young boy, and the only life he ever knew, even if terrible, was just uprooted. The misfits he called family were disbanded, some dead, some captured by the Sentinels. The woman he called Mother was killed, and his best friend, and adoptive brother was taken. The place he once called home was destroyed in battle. It is not that he was ungrateful to be welcomed by Professor Xavier into the Institute, he just had not had time to mourn.

As the X-Jet descended to the ground and taxied back into the hangar, everyone was hopeful, most especially Leech. The jet pulled into its spot and the engine shut down. They all watched as the side bay door opened and the ramp lowered to the ground. First out was Bobby and Madin, laughing together as they walked over. Next out, exited Scott. He stood around, sort of awkwardly at the bottom of the ramp breaking the cadence, Ororo took an extra few seconds before she walked off the jet. Leech felt the anxiety build, he thought for a second something had happened to her.

As Ororo reached the bottom of the ramp and stood next to Scott, she pointed at Leech. He pointed at himself, and then looked around the room, as if to question if it was him, she was pointing at. Once he figured it out, she motioned with her hand for him to come over to her.

"Yes, Ms. Ororo?" Leech asked. His late mother had taught him manners and respect for his elders.

As he got closer, Ororo kneeled. "Our mission today was not without success, Jimmy. At the sound of his real name, his big yellow eyes grew even bigger.

Just then Scott turned and faced the jet and hollered. "Hey, kid!"

Jimmy's attention swung to the door of the jet, as Artie walked into sight. Jimmy squealed as he ran up the ramp and greeted his brother with a tight hug. Everyone else in the hanger applauded as the two Morlock brothers were reunited. Together they walked down the ramp. Once they reached the bottom, they were stopped by Scott.

"Do you remember our deal, Artie? The promise that I made you. I told you I would do absolutely everything in my power to protect you and your brother." Scott reminded the young boy.

They both looked up at Scott with their big, alien-like eyes. Both were smiling. Together they embraced Scott. After the hug, Scott stuck out his fist, Artie returned the fist bump. Jimmy hesitated, not understanding. With his other hand, Artie motioned for him to do it too. Jimmy held up his hands, with three fingers each and bumped their fists with his own.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott." Jimmy praised.

Standing amongst the group, Bobby whispered. "That whole fist bump thing… That used to be our thing… Now, Scott, just fist bumps with everyone." Bobby kidded.

Despite feeling broken inside from her encounter with Warren earlier in the day, it made Jean happy to see the way those boys looked at Scott. She was happy for all of them, but most especially Scott. He deserved that heroic moment. As Scott walked over to speak with Charles, he looked at Jean and smiled. It was the biggest smile she had ever seen from him. She returned the expression.

"Professor, we need to talk." Urged Scott.

The group exited the hangar headed back to the Mansion proper. Everyone except for Hank. When he heard what Scott said he decided to stay.

"What is the matter?" Asked Professor Xavier.

"As we were flying back in, there was a large group gathering outside the perimeter of the property." Scott informed.

"Ah, yes. So, the protests begin. I should have suspected this after that fiasco on television last night." Spoke Hank.

"What should we do about it?" Scott asked.

"We must be patient. There is nothing we can do. At least not right away. If they think we are acting with hostility, things could take a dangerous turn for the worst."

Scott and Hank both nodded in understanding. "I would recommend we all remain indoor until these protesters leave. However long that may be." Xavier suggested.

"I will pass the message along to the others." Said Scott as he began to make his exit.

"Oh, Mr. Summers…" Xavier called. Scott halted and turned back to face Charles. "Excellent job this weekend, and congratulations on a successful recovery mission today."

Scott smiled and bowed his head before turning and making his exit.

"An extraordinary young man, that Scott Summers is." Hank complimented.

"That he is. And thank you for cooperating with the plan I proposed to you."

"Of course, Charles. Turning over the role of leadership to Scott, when he required it most, was vital to our success."

# _________________________________________

Scott had been laying in his bed for hours, reflecting on everything the team had been through in the last four days. It was nearly midnight and no matter how hard he tried he could not fall asleep. Adrenaline was coursing through his body. If necessary, he was ready to spring into action at that moment. It did not help, that he could hear the protesters outside the property from his bedroom. He wondered how many of them there were and if they were operating in shifts so they could be there at all times. How long would they be out there? Were they dangerous? Would they try to attack any of the Mutants he shared a home with? He imagined them trying to hurt Jean.

Oh, Jean. He enjoyed thinking of her. He wondered if she had been impressed by his actions at all in the last few days. He thought of the smile she offered a few hours before, in the hangar. Her smile always melted his heart. He, like most nights over the years, began thinking of everything he cherished about her. He loved her long red hair, her asymmetrically freckled face, her beautiful lips, and her pair shape, curved body. He loved watching her interactions with people. She has an undeniable way of knowing just how to communicate with someone. He loved her sincerity, her adaptability, and the way she was always there for people. He loved, how no matter who you are, or how long she had known you, she could always say just the right thing. Jean was the best woman he had ever known.

He thought about all the times over the years when he was down on himself and he felt hopeless like he would never be the great leader he desired. Or when he would sporadically believe himself responsible for his parent's death or for leaving his brother behind and remembered how Jean was always there for him.

Suddenly, his thought process was interrupted. "Hey Slim, can I come in?" Jean requested telepathically from her room.

She was not asking to physically enter the room, rather to enter his mind for a conversation.

"Yes." He thought to respond.

"I am sorry if I woke you." She apologized.

"Don't be. I was awake anyway. Is everything okay?"

"It's just been a long few days. I feel like we haven't, just, chatted in weeks."

"I know. Someone got us into a mess that needed to be cleaned up." He teased.

"Hey! I already apologized for it." She playfully defended.

"I know you did. I am only kidding."

"Any who…” She changed the subject. “I just wanted to tell you, the great job you've done this week. And rescuing Artie today was so great! You are truly growing into the leader we both always knew you could be… I am so proud of you, Scott. You're incredible."

Jean saying that meant the world to him. "Thanks, Jean… You are pretty incredible yourself. Wait… what are you even doing awake?"

"I fell asleep for a little while, but I woke back up after a bad dream. And now, those protesters are making too much noise and I can't fall back asleep."

"Yeah, they are obnoxiously loud. The bad dream, was it the same one as usual?"

"No, it was a different one." She was nervous to share her dream.

"What happened?"

"It was about something that happened today."

"What's that?"

"Well… promise me you won't get mad?" She knew Scott would be mad as he already had heat with Warren.

"Jean, you know I can't promise that. But I will try. Tell me what happened."

"I woke up Warren today…" She could instantly sense the anxiety switch flip on in his mind, just at the sound of Warren's name.

"And?"

"Everything started fine, but then things got kind of weird."

"Weird, how?"

She hesitated to answer.

"Jean… how were things weird?"

"He tried to kiss me." She admitted.

"What?!" Scott yelled out loud.

"Scott, it's okay. I told him no… But then he became so angry and full of rage. I have never seen him like that before. After laying into me for a few minutes he stormed out of the room and locked himself in his bedroom."

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Scott interrogated.

"No, of course not."

"Good thing… I don't know what I'd do if he had." All Scott needed was a reason to pick a fight with Warren.

"You're a good man, Scott."

"Thanks, Jean. Can I ask you something?

"Anything."

Scott had wanted to ask Jean this question for a long time, and now that he was finally about to, he still felt unprepared to do so. "Well… We have known each other for a long time, ya know? Have you ever thought about… the two of us?"

Jean's face lit up at the thought of Scott actually asking her that question. The concept of them as a couple was something she had thought about for an awfully long time. Especially recently. She had to maintain herself before she could reply. She took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Do you mean, like, us, us?" She asked with a hint of coy and a dash of flirt.

"Yeah… Like the thought of you and I being together?" He clarified.

She squealed. She could not believe what he was saying to her. She had to convince herself to play it cool. "Yeah, sure. We are a guy and girl, we are the same age, and we spend almost every single day around each other. It would be pretty impossible not to think about that sort of thing."

The way she just put it combined with the fact that she never had acted on it shook his confidence on the subject. "So, then, I guess it's not something that you're interested in?"

"I don't know what makes you think that."

"Maybe the idea that you have thought of this before… But you have never said anything!" He laughed to mask his unintentional vexation.

"Well, you have never said anything either." She accused.

He knew he could not argue with that. She had a point. "You're right. Sorry."

She laughed. "Scott, what could you possibly be apologizing for?"

"Did you just laugh at my apology? He amusingly called out. "I apologized for having never brought this up before." He continued.

"I did laugh at your apology. Scott, there is no reason for you to be sorry."

"Alright then. I withdraw my apology." He joked.

She gasped. "You can't just take it back like that!" Continuing the joke.

"I believe I just did, Ms. Grey. You gonna do something about it?" He challenged.

"Yeah, yeah I am! I am going to sleep. Good night… Mr. Summers." And then she severed the telepathic link having gotten the last word.

Scott was left alone again with nothing but his thoughts and the crowd of noisy protesters outside. He beamed from ear to ear as he laid there in his bed. He could not even be mad that she got the last word. The conversation had gone so well. He had not felt so calm and comfortable in a long time. And yet, he was experiencing a high-level of eustress.

Then it hit him, and he realized that he did not know how he was going to follow this up the next day. He managed to come off as fairly smooth during their telepathic link, but he did not know what he would say when he saw her next. He knew Jean better than that though. He knew he could be himself with her. And yet, he let his disquiet take control.

Scott sat up in his bed, turning so that his feet touched the floor. He considered walking to her room and talking to her in person, just to get it out of the way. He put on his ruby lensed glasses, stood up, and headed across the room for the door stopping just short of grabbing the doorknob. He stood there staring at his shadow in front of him cast onto the door, by the moonlight peeking in through the window behind him.

He remembered her saying she was going back to sleep and ultimately decided not to go. Instead, he took a few steps back and returned to his bed. For another hour or so he fought with his mind before eventually convincing himself that she was his best friend, and it would likely be alright. His last thought as he drifted asleep was her lovely, freckled face, and the marvelous sound of her voice… "Goodnight, Mr. Summers."

** Chapter VII **

Wednesday

Hank laid in his bed, squeezing his eyes shut, unprepared to begin the day. Between his high anxiety and the commotion, the protesters created outside all night, he had a excessively restless night's sleep. As the first beam of sunlight invaded his room, shining brightly onto his face, he decided he could no longer pretend to sleep. His eyelids peeked open, and he slid out of the bed onto his feet.

He pulled on a t-shirt and slid into a pair of sweatpants and headed out the door. Down the long, second-floor hall, before descending the stairs to the main floor, he went. He stopped by the kitchen and started the coffee pot. As he stood there waiting, elbows leaned on the counter, chin rested in his hands, it occurred to him, the protesters were eerily quiet this morning. Maybe they had left already, he pondered. Once ready, he grabbed his mug full of hot coffee, his empty basket from the day before, and headed for the side door to go and visit his garden.

He made one more pit stop, this time at his gardening shed. He set his coffee mug down on the workbench to free up his hand for gathering supplies. He collected his gloves, a soil knife, and garden scissors, compiling the tools in his basket. He temporarily traded the basket for his coffee mug to take one more drink before heading out to the garden. As he raised the cup to his mouth, his back arched and his shoulders shrugged, making for a wonderful feeling stretch.

As he lowered the mug back to the table, he heard a few distant voices. The protesters, he thought to himself. Returning to his thoughts, he continued, this time out loud."If only we were so lucky. Wishful thinking, I suppose."

He grabbed ahold of his basket, and headed out, snatching his shovel on the way. As he stepped out of the door and around the side of the shed, he witnessed a hooded man stomping around in his garden to a crowd of cheers from beyond the ten-foot-tall iron fence that surrounded the property. Without a thought, Hank's grasp upon the basket handle released and it fell to the ground as he began knuckle bounding towards the man.

"Donovan, run!" Called out one of the other protesters.

The hooded man, glanced back to see the large man that was Hank, charging at him, with a shovel in his grip. He took off running and jumped onto the fence to begin climbing. Hank caught up to the man, dropping the shovel to grab ahold of the man with intent to yank him from the fence before he heard another man yell. "Hey, freak!"

Hank turned back to see another man standing in his garden with his arms widespread to the sides. He was challenging Hank.

The crowd was chanting now. "Freak… Freak…Freak…" As they waved their anti-Mutant signs. Some even had their phones out recording what was going on.

Hank's animalistic demeanor subsided as he began to slowly stalk towards the man. It occurred to him that he was being set up. Likely, so they could get footage of a Mutant attack. They may think of him as nothing more than an animal, but he was far more intelligent than them.

"Please, clarify the purpose of your endeavor. What is it you… children wish to achieve by harassing me and destroying my garden?" Hank reasoned with the man standing on top of his watermelon.

"You're a freak!" Hollered the man to the crowd's approval.

"It would seem you have but one insult. I have heard far worse. Is that the absolute best you can…" And then Hank realized who he was looking at. It was one the young News employees he assisted in rescuing only a few days before.

"Hold on, you're Ricky. Then that must be Donovan." Hank surmised as he gestured to the first man.

Just as he attempted to turn and look, he was struck by his own shovel on the back of the neck. He stumbled forward before catching himself. He gazed over towards the man wielding the shovel. It was, in fact, Donovan. Hank snarled as he reached out and grabbed ahold of the center of the shovel handle and yanked the man towards him. Once close enough Hank grabbed Donovan by the collar of his shirt and raised him from the ground.

"Please let him go! We're sorry!" Pleaded Ricky as he ran closer to the action. Hank dropped Donovan and swung his body around grabbing Ricky before throwing him nearly ten feet through the air towards the iron fence.

"Go on, now! Get out of here!" Hank growled.

Hank grabbed his shovel and snapped the handle in half, throwing both ends away from him in different directions. He was angry at the young men, but he was even angrier at himself. He knew it was a setup, and yet, he fell for it. Tears emerged from his eyes and rolled down his face as he stormed inside of the Mansion.

# _________________________________________

"We got one! He freaked out and was throwing them around." Informed the Anti-Mutant organization founder, Graydon Creed holding his cell phone up to his ear. "Yeah, I got it all on camera. I will send it over in just a minute." He continued. "Yeah… Okay… Okay… talk soon, Mr. Senator.

Graydon hung up the phone and grinned perversely. "Alright, my Friends of Humanity. We got what we wanted; these Mutants are done!"

The crowd cheered in excitement. They were hanging on Graydon's every word. "Everyone send your videos to me, right away. These Mutant freaks will be exposed for the monsters they are."

The crowd cheered some more. "Should we help those two?" Asked a concerned member of the crowd, pointing at Ricky and Donovan.

"If you would like. No one is stopping you. As for the rest of us, let's get out of here. Our job is done!" Ordered Graydon.

# _________________________________________

Bobby and Madin made plans to train together in the Danger Room, however, when they arrived, all ready to train, Forge was there, doing maintenance and upgrades. Bobby was disappointed that they would not get to fight together, but he was determined to spend time with Madin **.**

"Hmmm. Oh! How about we ditch our gear and just go toss a Frisbee around in the Hangar?" Bobby suggested.

Madin chuckled. "Bruh… I have never even thrown a Frisbee before."

He was not sure he was even interested in doing that, but he was interested in hanging out with Bobby.

"That's okay. I'll teach you! Most people think they have to whip their arm, but it's really about the flick of the wrist. See!" Bobby held out his hand and formed an ice disc. He turned and faced down the long hall and threw the cold Frisbee perfectly down the hall until it crashed into a wall at the far end and shattered into tiny bits of ice.

Madin was impressed. "Alright, let's do it!" He said enthusiastically to Bobby's delight.

"Awesome! Let's get changed, and I will grab my real disc." Bobby exclaimed.

# _________________________________________

Jean woke from her sleep with a blissful smile. She was so pleased with the conversation she and Scott had the night before. She was also pleased with herself for having gotten the last word before ending their mind link for the night. She laid there staring at the ceiling playing back the conversation, over and over. When she was finally ready to get moving, she lifted the covers and slid her feet out from underneath and lowered them into her slippers.

As she stood up, she continued thinking about Scott. She first wondered if he was awake yet and what he was up to. Abruptly, she was overwhelmed by a sense of anxiety. It was enough to knock her from her feet, back onto the bed. Her eyes squinted as she tried to locate the source of this terrible sensation. And then she identified it, and her eyes widened. She would inevitably see Scott when she left her room. She had no idea what to say following last night's smooth conversation. She sat back up; her eyes darted around the room as she attempted to think of what she would say if she saw him. A dozen opening lines passed through her mind. None of which, seemed good enough.

She rose to her feet for the second time. Her nerves were making her shiver. She scanned her room for a hoody, spotting one resting on the back of her desk chair. Using her telekinesis, she levitated it towards her as she started in the opposite direction, towards her bathroom, placing it over her shoulders as she passed through the doorway. She approached the mirror and glared at her reflection. Her long, fiery, red hair was a mess, and her love-hate relationship with her freckles leaned towards the latter. She was unimpressed.

She wondered what Scott saw in her as she stared at herself in the mirror. And then it dawned on her that even if she did not see it, he did. That realization made her smile. Her anxiety began to diminish as her confidence was returning. She was ready to face Scott whenever she saw him. After brushing her teeth, she turned and sashayed out of the bathroom and across her room towards the door. Once there, she grabbed the doorknob, turned, and pulled the door open just in time to come face to face with Scott just as he was preparing to knock.

"Oh!" She yelled as she slammed the door shut in his face. She was not as prepared as she had thought. She certainly did not expect to see him at her door.

"Jean?" Scott called through the door.

Jean's eyes grew wide, and then she began to laugh. She quickly covered her mouth in an attempt to contain herself. She was not sure what to do. Especially, since she had just slammed the door in his face. And then she recalled her conversation with Bobby a few days prior.

"Go for it." She whispered to herself before grabbing the door handle once more and pulling the door open.

Scott was still standing there, with a confused look on his face. The two stood feet apart, staring at each other for a matter of seconds before Jean stepped closer and closed the gap.

She tilted her head back to look up at him and smiled as she wrapped her hands together around his neck, pulling their faces closer. She raised up on her toes. With their faces, now, inches apart, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his for a quick kiss.

She pulled away, still smiling at him. "Morning, Slim." She said cocking her head to one side. And then she sidestepped and walked past him, headed for the stairs.

# _________________________________________

After getting lost in the corridors on the way, Madin finally found Bobby in the X-Jet Hangar. As he walked in, Bobby immediately threw his bright, orange-colored disc over to him. "Dang man took you long enough!" Bobby joked.

Madin stuck out his hand to catch the disc that was flying straight for him, but it bounced off the webbed space between his thumb and index finger, and landed on the floor.

"Come on man. You really thought I was gonna find this place that easy?"

He grabbed the Frisbee and attempted to throw it back but accidentally threw it right at the ground. It bounced and landed again, only making it a quarter of the distance needed. Bobby laughed and ran over to pick it up.

"I told you, it's all in the flick of the wrist."

The two continued throwing the Frisbee back and forth for another fifteen minutes or so before Madin started figuring out how to throw it properly.

"Alright, man. You ready for this one?" Madin challenged as he tucked his arm deep and then whipped it ahead, flicking his wrist at exactly the right moment. The disc rocketed into the air, across the hanger.

"Challenge accepted!" Bobby yelled as he took off running to catch up.

He was not moving fast enough if he wanted to catch the disc though. He held his hands out in front of him and created an ice track, like the short one he made during the sentinel attack in Mutant Town. This time he rode it much higher, twisting and turning until he was fifteen feet in the air. He snagged the disc right out of the air. But in doing so, he lost focus and stopped creating the track in front of himself and began to quickly plummet towards the ground, crashing amongst some large storage cases.

"Iceman!" Hollered Madin, as he took off running to get to Bobby. As Madin got closer he continued calling out. He began grabbing cases and throwing them away to dig Bobby out, until he finally saw him. Bobby lifted himself and turned to face Madin. One look at Bobby, and he took a few steps back, and then started laughing.

"Why are you laughing? I could have died." Bobby argued.

"Bro, I have been calling you Iceman. Maybe I should call you Frosty!" Madin joked.

Bobby looked down at his arms, hands, and legs. They were completely covered in snow. He ran over to the window on the hangar door and looked at his reflection. His snowman form had returned.

"This again? What is going on with my gifts?" He questioned fearfully.

"Frosty, the snowman!" Madin sang as he laughed hysterically.

Bobby turned around and mean mugged Madin, but his face was hidden away and indistinguishable because of his snowman seeming head. His expression was unseen. Bobby held his arms up in front of his face, looking at them.

"I don't know why this keeps happening. I can't control it." Bobby whined.

"This happened before? Well, how'd you deal with it then?"

"Yeah… it happened at our first battle. And then I got shot in the head." Bobby informed.

Madin's eyes widened in surprise. "Woah! Callisto shot you? How did you… Am I talkin' to a ghost?"

"No, I am very much alive. I think that this is a new manifestation of my gifts. And I think it protects me. I was only knocked out by the bullet to the head. Hank said the snowy form shielded me from the bullet enough to hardly cause any real damage. The worst part was that after I went back to my normal form, the bullet was lodged in the side of my head, and to do the stitching, they had to shave my head."

Madin looked at Bobby with an unsympathetic gaze. "Bruh, you got shot in the freakin' head and you're over here whining that they shaved your hair off? That does explain the do-rag though."

Bobby chuckled. "It's a bandana! I guess you're right though. I should be happy this new form keeps popping up to protect me. I just wish I were in control of it."

Suddenly, behind Bobby, some of the cases he had crashed into, lost balance and tipped over causing another crash. He spun around as fast as he could with his arms out to defend himself.

"HAHA! You good, Frosty?" Joked Madin.

With his arms out in front of him, Bobby noticed all the snow was gone from his arms. However, it was not his skin that he could see. It was pure Ice up to his elbows. He spun back towards Madin.

"Dude, look at my arms now!" Bobby called out.

"Yo, that is lit! You got some next-level power, my dude." Madin was just as excited about Bobby's powers, as he was.

"Now, I just need to figure out how to turn it off."

"Why though? I like it this way… hides that cringe face." Madin teased.

Bobby formed a snowball in his hand and reared back to pitch it at Madin. "Got some shade, huh?"

Madin raised his hands out in front to guard himself as he started laughing.

"Homeboy's shook." Madin laughed. "C'mon, Iceman. You know you give off those dreamboat vibes." He continued.

Bobby hesitated, trying to find the meaning of Madin's slang. And then he lowered his hand and smiled, accepting the compliment. The two shared eye contact and smiled briefly, though Madin could not tell through the snow. Quickly, Bobby raised his hand still loaded with a snowball, reared back, and hurled it right into Madin's face, knocking him from his feet.

"Sorry, you were looking a little thirsty!" Bobby joked before he took off running for the door.

Madin wiped the snow from his face, jumped back to his feet, and started running in pursuit of Bobby.

"Oh, it's finna be like that? Hope you're fast, Frosty!"

# _________________________________________

Scott and Jean stood across from each other at the kitchen island, over breakfast, for the first time since putting it all out there to each other. As they ate and chatted, both were stuck on the kiss. Neither of them could believe it had actually happened. Both were so glad it did.

"Sabah el kheir." Ororo greeted with a smile as she entered the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, what?" Asked Scott.

Ororo chuckled. "It means 'good morning' in Arabic, the language I grew up speaking." She informed as she searched the cupboard for something to eat.

"Good morning." Jean reciprocated, never taking her eyes off Scott.

After giving Ororo his attention, Scott turned back to his plate and saw Jean staring at him. He bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to contain his smile. He raised his coffee and took a drink, realizing it was not working.

Professor Xavier entered the room next. He wore a long, burdened, face. Jean took notice of this immediately.

"Good morning, Professor. Is something the matter?" She inquired.

The wheels on his chair came to a halt and he turned to look at his first two students, along with one of his newest. His eyes shifted around the room before focusing on Jean. "Something happened this morning."

Scott became alert. "What, exactly, happened?"

Charles cleared his throat. "Some of the protesters came onto the property and provoked Dr. McCoy in his garden."

"They were inside the fence?" Asked Scott.

"Where is Hank now? Is he okay?" Asked Jean

"How did he react to the provocation?" Inquired Ororo.

"Yes, they were inside the fence, Scott. Hank is fine, Jean. I believe he went to his lab." Charles gazed towards Ororo. "He did not react as well as I would have hoped. Things became physical."

Scott, Jean, and Ororo listened intently.

"He informed me, urgently, after the fact. He believes it was premeditated. Only after he responded with violence, did he notice the mobile phone cameras recording the events."

"That doesn't sound like Hank at all." Replied Scott.

"I did not think so either. Dr. McCoy has… Something of an animal instinct and those protestors were able to find and exploit that.

Scott raised his hand to his face, dragging his fingertips along his jaw line, stopping when his chin was in his palm. "What will happen?"

"Fortunately, Hank was defending himself, and his property. Legally, there is not much that can happen…"

"But when those videos of him attacking them are uploaded…" Jean interjected.

"I fear when that happens, all the hard work done the last few days will be undermined, and Human/Mutant affairs will take another step backward."

All three students paused, reflecting on everything being said. Any optimism they were finally starting to feel about the world they lived in, fleeted.

Charles poured a glass of coffee and started towards the doorway into the foyer. "Nevertheless, life will go on," Charles said. "Ms. Monroe, Mr. Summers, if the two of you could make your way to my study this afternoon, I would like to discuss some things with the two of you." He continued.

# _________________________________________

Bobby turned a corner at full speed, now in the mansion proper. As he continued running, he looked down and noticed his snow and icy exterior had dissipated. He had returned to his normal self. He stood there, once again, arms raised, staring at them. He knew he needed to figure out how to control that, himself.

He turned around, having forgotten he was being pursued, just in time for Madin to slam into him, tackling him to the ground. They both crashed onto the floor, laughing.

"I chased you all the way up from the lower levels. Why did you stop here?" Asked Madin.

Bobby laughed. "To be honest, I noticed I was back in my human form and completely forgot I was running from you."

"Bruh, you gotta figure that power out." Madin pointed out.

Bobby knew he was right, but he was unsure how. It was like this gift had a mind of its own. It was automatically happening as a defense mechanism when he needed it to.

He nodded in agreement. "You're right. I really do need to figure it out."

Madin kipped up to his feet, much to Bobby's amazement. Madin saw Bobby's impressed face and smirked at him as he extended his hand to help him up to his feet.

"Thanks." Bobby Appreciated as he rose to his feet. "Hey, you like video games?"

"I've never played one before." Admitted Madin.

"What? In your whole seventeen years of life, you have never played a video game? Bro, this is 2023, not the stone age!" Bobby was bewildered. "Come on!" Ordered Bobby as he led him to his room.

"HA! It's not like I never wanted to. We… We just didn't have that type of money when I was growing up. And then the blip happened, and it was time to grow up in a hurry, ya know?"

Bobby felt bad for teasing Madin. He had never really known anyone who was not from a wealthy family. His family was upper-middle class, living not too far from West Chester in Upstate New York. He got most of the things he wanted. And he had been fairly well taken care of at the Xavier Institute, as well.

"You feel bad now, don't you?" Madin observed.

Bobby began to blush. He felt embarrassed.

"Check it out. I didn't have a lot growing up. But I did have a roof, a bed, my mom, and my brother. Us three, we took care of each other."

"Where is your family now?" Asked Bobby.

"When Thanos snapped, Mom disappeared. Me and Ash didn't know what to do. Eventually, we found Callisto and joined the Morlocks. Then when things went back to normal, I went back to see her, but she wasn't there. I waited around for days and never saw her. I don't know what happened to her."

"And what happened to Ash?"

Madin hesitated before answering, trying to find the most efficient way to tell the story. "A lil' bit after we hooked up with the Morlocks, he got scooped up by some genetics freak. This guy wanted to use him for an experiment. He was the only person I ever saw Callisto take orders from. She basically gave my brother to this guy."

Bobby was unsure how to respond. So, he said the only thing that came to mind. "I'm sorry, Man. "

"Don't be. You didn't do it. It was his fault anyway." Madin's gaze was still directed toward the floor.

Bobby reached out for Madin's hand. "I know I didn't do it. But I am sorry you lost your family, anyway."

Madin smiled. "My guy. You're alright, Iceman."

# _________________________________________

Hank trudged through the mansion, having reemerged from his day long self-isolation. He locked himself away in his lab for most of the day. Now out and about, he seemed focused. Something was on his mind and he was determined. As he made his way toward the stairs in the main foyer, he could smell a horrible odor. Following his nose, he detoured from his path.

He found himself in the kitchen. The source of the horrible smell became obvious right away. As he walked in Toad was perched, facing the opposite direction, on the countertop stuffing his face full of food.

"Pardon my interruption…" Before Hank could continue, Toad spun around skittishly, with food all over his face. "Typically, I would bring attention to one's lack of table manners, however, there are more pressing matters at hand, presently."

Toad did not speak, he did not move, he did not even blink. He just glared at Hank. There was a long, awkward silence as the two stared at each other.

"Do you know where I can find the boys?" Asked Hank. There was no response from Toad as he remained perched over his food. "Hello? Toad, have you seen Arthur and Jimmy?"

Still nothing. Toad was like a deer in the headlights. And then ever so slowly, Toad's hand reached into the mess of food in front of him and he quickly shoved a handful into his mouth. Then he leaped through the air right towards Hank, who quickly sidestepped. Toad landed in a crouched position, where he had previously been standing. Toad tilted his head up, making eye contact with Hank before spinning around, to face his mess. In an instant, his tongue shot out across the room and grabbed one last bite before he bounced out of the room and down the hall.

Hank stood rooted in place, still unsure of what had just happened before him. "That may have been the most peculiar moment of my irregular life, to date." He mumbled to himself as he exited back into the foyer.

"Oh hey, Hank! I hope you are doing alright. I heard you had a rough morning." Spoke Jean as she walked up the hall.

Hank faced her and forced a smile in return along with a nod of his head. "As long as my family is okay, I'll be fine. It is probably for the best it was me, rather than any of you, kids."

Hank forced the optimism to Jean's face, but he knew he was not okay, and even more so, he knew he wished it were anyone else. Jean could see straight through it, he must have forgotten who he was talking to, though she chose not to say anything else about it.

He continued his mission, getting nearly halfway up the steps. "Say, Jean, you wouldn't happen to know if Arthur and Jimmy are in their room, would you?"

Jean thought it strange that Hank had been hiding away all day and then reemerged looking for the two of them. "I couldn't tell ya. I haven't seen them all day." She answered.

"Thank you anyway." Hank continued up the stairs.

He reached their room and knocked on the door. A few seconds later the door opened, and Jimmy appeared from behind it.

"Ah. Just the young man I have been searching for." Hank smiled.

Jimmy offered a smile in return. "Hey, Dr. McCoy."

"In an attempt to be as upfront as possible, I believe your blood may be the key to an antidote." Hank informed.

Jimmy cocked his head to one side in confusion. His big eyes narrowed as he tried to work out the meaning of what Hank just told him.

"I will explain. I just need to draw a blood sample. Will you join me in my lab?"

Jimmy's big eyes grew larger at the sound of giving Dr. McCoy some of his blood. "Will it hurt?" Jimmy asked.

"No more than a pinch on the arm." Hank reassured.

After a few seconds of consideration, Jimmy responded. "Okay. I'll go." He turned back towards the room. "Artie, I will be back. I am going with Dr. McCoy." Artie, who had been laying in his bed watching, gave a thumbs up in response.

Hank took a step backward as Jimmy stepped out of the room, pulling his door shut behind him. The two began their long walk down to the lower levels, together. "Alright, Dr. McCoy… Tell me all about it."

# _________________________________________

Ororo approached Professor Xavier's office door with the jitters. She had nothing to be afraid of, still yet, she felt anxious.

She was one of the new kids at the school and she was being called into the principal's office in the first week. Despite her anxiety, she carried herself with confidence. She always had, as a thief in the streets of Cairo and as a Morlock in the streets of Mutant Town. That was not going to change now that she was a member of the X-Men.

She knocked on the door.

"Please come in, Ororo." She heard Professor Xavier's voice inside her head.

She twisted the door handle and entered the room. The Professor was sitting behind his desk, and Scott was already seated in one of the chairs in front of him. She smiled as she entered.

"Please have a seat." Offered Professor Xavier.

"Thank you." Ororo said as she took her seat, next to Scott.

"It is my understanding that you were the leader of the Morlocks, Miss. Munroe."

"Yes, well, in the team's final moments." Ororo clarified. "Callisto had led the Morlocks before and all through the so-called "Great Mutant War". I took the role of leader from her just before the Sentinel attack on Mutant Town."

"Thanks for that, by the way." Quipped Scott. Ororo acknowledged with a half-smile.

"I see. The reason for this meeting today is that I see great potential within you, Ororo. You have all the makings of an effective leader." Charles commended.

Ororo's half-smile evolved into a full one. "Thank you, Professor."

"I agree. In the field, I have seen firsthand. You possess the qualities necessary to be a successful leader." Scott added.

"Thank you, Scott."

"As I imagine you have picked up on by now, Scott has trained to be and generally serves as the field leader for the team during training missions. He put those skills to use for the first time in the real-world, in Mutant Town. As a member of the X-Men, I hope to see you capitalize on your capacity to be a leader also, by embracing these strengths." Professor Xavier enlightened.

"She can train with me." Interjected Scott.

"It's like you read my mind, Mr. Summers." The Professor grinned. "Miss. Munroe, I would never demand that you do something. I, simply, desire to acknowledge the promise of becoming an exceptional field leader, that I see within you. And wish to guide in your development, with the assistance of Mr. Summers."

Ororo was flattered. "This truly means a tremendous deal to me, Professor. I never saw myself as a leader until I was pressured and belittled by Callisto. I thought to myself, what could possibly be worse than this? I can try and fail, or I can live with her transgressions for the rest of my life… She laid down the gauntlet, and I accepted her challenge." Ororo leaned forward in her chair and extended her hand to the Professor. "It would be an honor to be mentored by the two of you." She extended her hand to Scott next.

"Perfect! We will get started next week when classes resume." Arranged Scott.

As Scott and Ororo made their exit, they passed Forge, who was making his way into the Professor's office.

"Greetings Forge, how are the Danger Room updates coming?" Charles inquired.

"They are coming along. This was quite an intricate update I developed. I think I should have it done by tomorrow. I can't wait to see the kids in there!" Forge was excited about his work, but it was clear something was on his mind.

"What is it, Forge?" Asked Charles.

"What is what?" Forged asked in return.

"It is evident from the look on your face, that something is wrong. Would you like to share the burden?"

Forge took a seat and raised a hand to his brow, letting out a deep sigh. "During lunch, they ran a commercial. Tonight, on the news they are going to show the footage from this morning. They are going to show Hank tossing those guys around." Forge informed.

Charles considered Forge's words. "These are unfortunate circumstances, though it has already happened. All we can do now is brace for impact." Charles leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a long blink. "I always knew the day the modern world learned of our… Gifted presence, would be a hard day, but these are truly tasking times. Nevertheless, we shall stand together, and we shall weather the storm, together."

# _________________________________________

Bobby tossed his video game controller out in front of himself. "You've got to be kidding me! I thought you said you had never played video games." Bobby cried after being beaten several times at his own video game.

"HAHA! I haven't. I just catch on fast, bruh. Why'd you toss your remote? Tired of getting that ass murked?" Madin teased.

Bobby leaped at Madin. The two fell to the floor and wrestled around, fighting for the upper hand. Madin could feel Bobby's hands start to become very cold.

"Don't you even use your powers, man! You wouldn't want me to use mine." Madin hollered as he began to get the advantage.

"Grrrrr… That's because yours would, literally, kill me!" Bobby argued.

"Guess we'd know who won then, huh?" Madin joked.

Bobby was more skilled in wrestling and hand-to-hand combat, but he was overpowered by Madin. They tossed and turned wrestling in the floor for a few minutes before Madin finally took full mount over Bobby, with his feet hooked into the inner part of Bobby's knees. He sat on top of Bobby, taking cheap shots in the form of little slaps to the face.

"Hey! That is enough of those!" Bobby demanded.

"What's the matter, Ice Man? You don't like that? You finna do something?" Madin challenged.

Bobby growled and grunted trying to get out from under Madin. "Yeah, I am!"

Madin grabbed Bobby's wrists and pinned them to the floor over his head. "Doesn't look like it, little boy!"

Bobby's face turned angry. He was trying his hardest to get loose. "Little boy? Seriously?"

Madin leaned down, hovering his face just over Bobby's. "Seriously… In fact, I ain't never been so serious." Madin grinned, before leaning in even more and kissing Bobby on the lips.

In an instant Bobby completely paused. His eyes became huge as he stared up at Madin. He began pressing his lips together as if having just applied Chapstick.

Realizing what he had just done, and seeing Bobby's reaction, Madin quickly hopped to his feet and backed away from Bobby.

"Yo man, I am sorry." Madin apologized before turning and heading for the door.

He got his hand on the handle before Bobby called out to him. "No Madin, wait!"

Madin swallowed hard and released the door handle before slowly turning around.

"Don't be sorry. I liked it. It's just that…" Bobby hesitated, breaking eye contact and looking at the floor.

Madin began shuffling back towards Bobby. Until he was close enough to reach out with his hand and raise Bobby's face by the chin.

"Just that, what?" Madin asked, before leaning in and kissing Bobby once more.

As Madin pulled away, Bobby blushed. "… That was my first… and second kiss."

"All good things come in three." Madin said as he closed his eyes and puckered his lips, inviting Bobby to give the kiss this time.

Bobby leaned in real close, but instead of kissing him, he returned one of the slaps that Madin had been giving him before.

"AH, you did not! Ya done, son!" Madin hollered out, laughingly, as he tackled Bobby into the floor initiating round two of their wrestling match.

# _________________________________________

Hank looked through his microscope examining the blood he drawn from Jimmy's arm. He believed that with the proper combination, Jimmy's blood could be the cure to his self-diagnosed disease, of being a Mutant.

"Knock, knock!" Hollered Forge as he peaked his head in the door of Hank's lab.

Hank did not exactly want company at this moment, but he welcomed Forge anyway. "Please come in."

"I hear you're working with Jimmy on an "antidote" or something." Forge stated.

"Yes, exactly that! An antidote." Hank confirmed enthusiastically.

"An antidote for what exactly?"

"Why the ailment that has plagued the likes of Jimmy, Arthur, and I for the entirety of our lives, of course." Hank clarified.

"So, it is some kind of Mutant cure you are working on?"

"Precisely."

Forge was disappointed to hear that. "Hank I urge that you reconsider what you are doing here."

Hank stopped what he was doing and looked up at Forge. "I would imagine you would not understand, Forge."

"Understand what? You have a senior position here! Those kids look up to you. And at the rate things are going, there will just be more and more coming through those doors." Forge affirmed as he crossed his arms.

Hank stood from his stool and removed his glasses, setting them on the tabletop in front of him. As he moved towards Forge, allowing for himself to be as big and lumbering as possible. A quality he typically tried to keep concealed by slouching and kneeling.

"Forge, here is what you are failing to understand. It is not easy for the likes of Jimmy, Arthur, and me. I can only imagine there are so many others like us out there. You, Charles, and the kids… All of you can move around freely. No one gives you a second look. When I walk down the street, people see a monster. They do not see a man when they look at me, just they do not see a boy when they look at Jimmy."

"So, you're just going to drink some concoction with Jimmy's blood in it and turn into a "normal" human?" Forge inquired.

Hank pressed his hands down on the table, and then looked, again, at Forge with a condescending expression. "It will not be a drink, but for the sake of simplicity, yes. That is what I intend to do."

Forge uncrossed his arms and shook his head as he walked towards the door. "I can't even wrap my mind around how that will work.

"I can only suspect you could not." Hank said dismissively.

"Hank, these kids need you. They look up to you for guidance. I know you had a bad day, but that doesn't mean you should act irrationally." Forge argued.

"You don't think I know this, Forge? I know they look up to me! A bad day does not begin to explain the day I have had, let alone, the life I have lived. I am creating an opportunity for Mutants like me. I am creating… hope, for Mutants. Mutants that just wish to be… normal." Hank retorted.

Having heard enough, Forge opened the door and began to step out, only to stop and say one last thing. "They are going to talk about your incident this morning on the News tonight, I thought you might want to know." Forged informed.

"Thank you, Forge." Hank said as he put his glasses back onto his face and began writing something down in his lab journal.

# _________________________________________

Bobby and Madin had spent the entire day together, and Bobby could not be happier. He had his first kiss, among many more since then. The two had given up on wrestling and were just lying on the floor sharing stories and chatting about this and that. Their legs were interweaved and wrapped up in each other.

"If I can just be honest for a second… I am super glad that my first kiss was a boy as cute as you." Bobby confessed.

Madin smiled at the compliment momentarily, and then the smile faded. Bobby recognized the doubt on his face.

"What's wrong?" Asked Bobby.

Madin sat up with his arms outstretched behind him, hand facing backward, palms flat on the floor. "It's nothing."

"You're lying. Is it me? Should I stop mentioning you being my first kiss?" Bobby worried.

"Nah Iceman, it ain't like that at all."

"Madin, I am here for you. Tell me what's going on." Bobby reassured.

Madin crisscrossed his legs and then spun on his but to face Bobby. "I was born a male seventeen years ago. And for seventeen years, I have naturally been a male. But the thing about me is that I have never been comfortable calling myself a male… I am genderqueer."

"Like…hmm… I don't think I know what that means." Bobby admitted.

"It means my mind… Could have been put into a male's body, or a female's body, and I would be totally comfortable with either. Some days I wake up and have dude vibes, and others I have chick vibes. Or some days it could be a mix of both, ya know?"

Bobby had never heard of this before. And his face did not hide that. "I'm sorry. I just have no knowledge or understanding of this sort of thing."

"It's fine, bruh. Anything you want to know, just ask."

"Well, if you're a dude today, and a girl tomorrow, what am I supposed to call you?" Bobby asked.

"You can call me baby if you want." Madin joked, lightening the situation.

Bobby smiled. "For real though."

"Most people… like me, choose to have gender-neutral words like "they" and "them" instead of "he" or "she", ya know?"

"So, tomorrow, when I tell Jean about you… I should tell her "They are a really good kisser?" Bobby asked with a smile.

Madin laughed. "Exactly."

"How come you are just mentioning this? You have been here for a few days." Bobby asked.

"Bruh, I've got purple skin, black features, I am a Mutant with lightsabers that come out of my forearms, and I like dudes… You really think anyone also wants to hear, 'Don't call me he?'"

"I mean if that is your preference, then why not?" Bobby made a point.

"The Morlocks were very accepting of Mutants of all shapes, sizes, races, cultures, whatever. But shortly after I got there, Callisto called me "he" one time and I tried to correct her. She wasn't havin' that. She wouldn't even try to wrap her mind around it. I decided I wasn't finna push the subject. I needed what she was offering."

"Screw her!" Shouted Bobby.

"Nah, you'll do." Grinned Madin as Bobby blushed. "Anyway, that's my story. I hope the rest of X-Men understand like you do." Madin continued.

"Of course they will. They may be just as ignorant to the subject as I was… But no one will be against your preference."

"Dope! Now get over here and kiss me, Iceman."

** Chapter VIII **

Thursday

"Good morning, students." Professor Xavier greeted as he rolled into the family room, flanked by Forge.

Various versions of the sentiment were returned by all the students he had gathered for an impromptu meeting. Hank and Warren were the only two not in attendance.

"What is this about, Professor?" Alex asked with a hint of attitude.

"Yesterday morning, Dr. McCoy was involved in an incident. As if this happening in and of itself, was not bad enough, witnesses captured the entire event on camera with their cell phones. The footage was sent into _WZVR NEWS_ , and they aired it last night." The Professor informed.

Expressions of concern, worry, and anger could be seen on the faces of all the students. The room remained silent for nearly a minute while everyone pondered what this meant and what would happen next.

"Of course, the media did what they always do and took this and ran with it. However it went down, I know Hank, and I know he would not as an aggressor. The footage did not reflect that. It was edited and cut to look like a random attack on the two guys." Forge explained.

Hank entered through the doorway. "I am uncertain if and which of you watched this footage last night. Supposing that you did, did anyone by chance recognize the two gentlemen?"

Everyone looked around the room, waiting for anyone to answer Hank's query. No one had an answer for him.

"Then let me tell you. The two men that vandalized my garden and then provoked me were Ricky and Donovan." Hank bestowed.

"The News guys we rescued in Mutant Town?" Questioned Scott.

"Precisely. Those are the ones." Hank confirmed.

"But why? Why would they do that? Asked Jean.

"Because they're all evil! Every one of them. They hate Mutants… They hate us!" Alex interjected.

"I fear it is not that simple, Alex." Hank appealed. "I stood face to face with these men. I could see the remorse in their eyes. Provoking me, or any one of us, was not their ambition." He continued.

"So, then why did they do it?" Asked Bobby.

"If I may." Charles took the floor. "I believe Dr. McCoy is saying they were put up to it, in an organized effort to observe and record a Mutant behaving violently."

"And their strategy prevailed." Hank added guiltily.

"Oh Hank, you reacted the same way any person would have reacted." Reassured Jean as she lifted from her place on the sofa and hugged Hank. He welcomed the hug at first, and then pulled away.

"The dilemma is that I am not "any person". I am a Mutant. In the opinion of outsiders, I am more closely related to apes than man." Hank somberly stated.

He turned and left the room to return to his lab and work on his antidote.

With Hank gone, the room returned to silence. No one was sure what to say next.

"Dr. McCoy is correct about one thing. This will be viewed differently because he is a Mutant. Making mankind understand that we are not a threat was never, not going to be an uphill battle, but this has made things even more difficult. As Miss. Grey pointed out, Dr. McCoy reacted the way anyone would have, man or Mutant. I plead with all of you not to place blame. If we are to get through this, we must stick together." The Professor declared.

# _________________________________________

After the meeting, Alex was unsure what to do next. This was the first time he had been up and walking around since they had returned from the mission in Mutant Town. He felt much better than he expected and did not want to just go waste his energy sitting in his room for the rest of the day. He meandered through the hall, stalling to come up with something to do before he reached his room.

Suddenly his face lit up and his pace quickened. He strutted right past his own door and continued down the hall until he reached the door of his closest friend. He knocked and then hollered through the door.

"Hey, Warren! You up?" He asked.

There was no response. So, he tried again. "Warren, I have been on bed rest all week. Plus, I never got a chance to thank you for coming back for me."

Alex backed away from the door with a furrowed brow. He did not understand why Warren was not answering. Finally, he stepped forward and grabbed the door handle. He found that the door was locked.

"Angel, what's going on with you?" Alex asked.

Alex noticed Jean walking up the hall. He contemplated asking her about Warren, ultimately deciding yes. "Hey Jean, have you seen Warren?"

Jean scoffed at the question. "You mean since he cornered me in his recovery room, and when I didn't give in, he stormed out?"

"What are you talking about?" Asked Alex.

Jean rolled her eyes. "No, I haven't seen him in a few days. He must be too busy brooding in his room." She said as she walked away, disinterested in anything to do with Warren.

Alex watched as she walked away with a scowl on his face. When she turned the corner, his eyes drifted back to Warren's door. He stepped forward and pounded on the door one more time.

"Come on, Warren. I don't know what's going on, but I am here for you, man." Alex pleaded.

He waited there for a moment, hoping that Warren would come and open the door. That did not happen. He finally lost his patience and jabbed at the door with his open palm and stomped away.

# _________________________________________

On the other side of the door stood Warren in his dark bedroom. He had his hands propped against the door frame on either side of the door. His forehead was pressed to the door itself. He considered Alex his only friend in the mansion. He wanted to open the door and let him in, but he could not do it.

Warren had never felt as miserable as he did now, not even when his parents died. He turned ninety degrees in reverse pressing his one wing and back against the wall and sank into a seated position in front of his door. A few tears bled down his face before he buried it in his hands. As much as he hated to agree with Jean, she was right. He was too busy brooding in his room.

# _________________________________________

That evening the students planned to sit outside and have a bonfire. It was their fun way of kicking off the weekend before their studies would resume and/or begin in the case of the newer faces, on Monday.

Scott pulled on his hooded sweatshirt when he heard a knock at his door.

"Can I come in?" Asked Jean.

Scott smiled as he hurried over to open the door for her. As he pulled the door open, she stepped in and grabbed his face, and pulled herself up to kiss him on the lips.

"You almost ready there, Slim? Everyone else is already out there."

"I was actually, just about to come find you." He replied as they started down the hallway towards the stairs together.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs and headed for the kitchen to head out into the backyard, Scott reached into Jean's jacket pocket and laced his fingers with hers. He pulled their hands out together, like some sort of Valentine's Day magic trick. He raised both of their hands to his face and kissed the back of her hand. Jean smiled.

"What do you think everyone would say if we walked up to the bonfire together, like this?" Asked Jean flirtatiously.

"Well, there is only one way to find out." Scott grinned accepting her challenge and the two walked out the door together, hand in hand.

Ororo was seated on the far side of the fire and was the first to see them."Some say love is like wind, you cannot see it, but you can feel it. However, on this night, it does not take the gift of weather manipulation, to see." She said with a smile at the sight of Scott and Jean.

Alex cocked his head in confusion until he heard Jean's laughter coming from behind him. He turned and looked over his shoulder and saw his brother holding hands with Jean. He hopped out of his seat and stared at them in disgust.

"Are you serious? Something is seriously wrong with you, Scott! No one came out here tonight to see the two of you doing that. For real, there is so much else on our plate, and you two…"

"That is enough, Alex. If you don't like it, then take your complaints elsewhere." Scott interjected.

Alex disapproved of Scott and Jean and being interrupted. He stormed past, bumping shoulders with his brother on the way. As he walked inside, Scott turned to watch as he left. When he turned back, he saw the turmoil on the faces of everyone after witnessing the brotherly dispute.

"I'm sorry, guys. It's just… I have spent the last few years constantly apologizing to him for whatever I may have done to make him angry. I am tired of it… He is right about one thing though, we do have a lot on our plates, and I am not going to allow him to make me feel bad for something that has been a light in this dark week for me."

"Yo, I don't even know that dude, yet. But you ain't got nothin' to apologize to us for. He was about to have a flyin' duck fit!" Blurted out Madin.

The rest of the group began laughing. Bobby, who was seated next to them grabbed their hand. "What?! What does that even mean?"

Madin reflected for a minute. 'Bruh, I don't even know. Momma used to say it to me and my brother when one of us was acting out." Madin explained to more laughter from the group. "Sike's bro was not havin' none of that…" They gestured to Scott and Jean's hands together. "…I just thought it was a good time to bust out the old expression."

"Ororo, you were quick to spot Scott and me. But did you even notice the icy hot love birds to your right?" Jean called out.

Bobby's eyes grew big. This was the first time his sexual orientation had come up publicly. He looked over at Jean who was already smiling at him.

"Aye… Just gonna bust us out like that?" Madin joked.

"So, it's true then?" Ororo asked. Scott also awaited the answer.

"I mean… well…"

Jean raised her index and middle finger to her temple. Suddenly, Bobby could hear her in his head. "Just go for it…"

Bobby smiled at Jean's words. Then without any more thought, he grabbed Madin around the chin and leaned in and kissed them. "Oh, it's true!" Bobby shouted with a smile.

Scott smiled and began to clap. "That's awesome! I am happy for ya."

Ororo joined in with Scott momentarily before a small rain cloud appeared over her head. "I guess that makes me the fifth wheel out here?" She joked as her single cloud sprinkled down on her for a few seconds before dissipating.

Bobby pointed and laughed at the over-dramatic nature of the rain cloud, along with everyone else.

Swiftly, Bobby hopped up from his seat, landing on his feet in front of Madin, with a serious expression. "Don't think I have forgotten you calling us out, Jean!" He said sternly, as he tried to contain a laugh. His eyes squinted as he raised both of his hands out in front of him and formed a snowball in each. He reared back and then shot his hands forward releasing both snowballs. As they soared through the air towards Jean, the snowballs suddenly stopped midair.

"What the?" Madin questioned, peering out from behind Bobby.

Bobby and Jean were locked in a stare-off as the snowballs sat idly in the air. Suddenly, one of the snowballs shot back towards him. He quickly ducked, leaving Madin exposed. The snowball slammed into his face with a powdery white explosion.

"Man, if I get hit with one more Snowball!" Madin wiped the frost from their face as the group laughed. Bobby swung his face back towards Jean. "Missed me!" He reminded.

In the spur of a moment, the second snowball shot through the air even faster than the first exploding off Bobby's face knocking him off his feet crashing backward into Madin, causing them to tip backward in their chair.

"Did I though?" Jean smirked. As Scott and Ororo laughed.

Bobby climbed off Madin and then helped him to his feet.

"No one told me hangin' with Iceman was gonna get me got too!" Madin joked.

"Hey Madin…" Scott called.

"Sup, Sike?" They answered.

Scott paused noticing the nickname Madin had given him. "Psych? That's the third time I've heard you call me that this week."

"Yes, Madin has a habit for coming up with epithets." Added Ororo.

"Storm's right!" Madin added, while subtly telling everyone Ororo's nickname.

"That one makes sense. She controls the weather. Wouldn't "Psych" be better suited for her?" Scott questioned, gesturing to Jean.

Madin's expression changed to confusion. "Whatchu' talkin' bout?"

Bobby chuckled, being the only one who understood what was going on. "He isn't saying "Psych" as in psyche. It is, actually, sort of a nickname, for a nickname." Bobby explained.

"And that is?" Asked Scott.

"When I saw you back in Mutant Town, shootin' lasers out ya eyes… I thought this dude looks like a cyclops!" Madin confessed.

"Got it, so Sike is short for Cyclops?" Scott asked rhetorically.

Bobby had a nervous smile as he stared at Scott. They hoped he was not offended by the nickname. Scott pondered the name and then spoke.

"Well, it is better than boy scout." Scott conceded. "I had a conversation with Hank before we left for Mutant town, we agreed that the team should have codenames, however, stopping to come up with some for everyone was far from a priority. But I think Madin just came up with them. From this moment forward, in uniform, we will start using these names." Scott declared as he smiled.

Scott leaned forward over the fire and held out his fist towards Madin. Madin leaned over and bumped his knuckles with Scott's. "Yo, that's dope Cyclops!"

"Him too?" Bobby cried out at the sight of his crush fist-bumping Scott. "Ya know, that used to be our thing." Bobby informed the group.

They responded with laughter.

"Hey, kids!" A voice called out from the mansion.

Everyone turned to look, as Forge approached with an excited expression.

"Hey Forge, you want to join us?" Offered Jean.

"Actually, I was hoping you guys would join me. I just finished all the updates and tests on the new and improved Danger Room. Anyone want to get in there and check it out?"

The group all looked around at each other.

"Yeah! We're in." Cheered Bobby motioning to Madin and himself.

"Why not?" Agreed Ororo.

Hearing everyone else's answers, Scott and Jean turned to each other.

"Only if Cyclops wants to." Jean answered.

"Cyclops?" Forge puzzled over.

"Haha. Tell you about it later. Yeah, we're in!" Scott accepted.

Forge fist-pumped the air. "Great! Go get your gear on. I'll meet you down there."

Forge turned and jogged back towards the mansion. The group all turned to face each other once more. "Alright, let's do this, guys!" Directed Scott.

Suddenly another small storm cloud appeared over the fire pit in front over everyone and before they knew it, the fire was extinguished. "After you…" Ororo said.

# _________________________________________

After getting geared up, Bobby and Madin met in the foyer and excitedly walked through the mansion to the lower-level corridors heading for the Danger Room. They were eager to finally get the opportunity to fight together after having been rejected the day before. As they neared, they could hear Forge's voice. He was passionately explaining all the updates to someone.

Finally, they reached the last corner, and as they made the turn, they could see Alex just ahead leaning against the wall across from the Danger Room entrance. Like them, he too was geared up. However, unlike Bobby and the other original members, he never received his new uniform and only wore his training gear.

Alex saw them coming and noticed Bobby's uniform. He turned and interrupted Forge. "When am I going to get my new uniform?" He questioned expectedly.

Forge was taken back by Alex's rudeness. "Oh, sorry. I had not even thought of it. I will get it to you tomorrow!"

As Bobby and Madin approached, Alex gave them dirty looks. Before either could respond. Hank rounded the corner from the other direction. He too was in his uniform.

"You really went and got everyone for this, didn't you? Should we expect Spider-Man or maybe The Hulk to show up?" Mocked Alex.

"Hey man, he is just excited about his hard work." Interjected Bobby.

"Had I known everyone was coming, I probably wouldn't have come. But I have been stir crazy all day, looking for something to do!" Alex grumbled.

Hank walked right over to Forge and the two began chatting amongst themselves.

Finally, Ororo sashayed down the hall wearing her loaner gear from Jean. Since arriving at the mansion she had stopped spiking up her mohawk and let her hair lay to one side instead. Almost as if she were leaving that visual representation of herself in the past.

"You boys ready to train?" Ororo said as she got closer.

Alex rolled his eyes and looked the opposite way down the hall. Madin was the only one to notice and stepped towards him in an offensive position.

"Bruh! I don't know what yer problem is. Shit, I don't even know you. But I ain't finna stand by while you disrespect everyone around. Especially not someone I think of like my big sister."

Bobby stepped forward and put a hand on Alex's chest to keep him back. Hank stepped out of his conversation with Forge to intervene.

"Is there a problem?" Hank questioned, looking irritated at both.

"Nah, Doc. I'm cool if he is." Answered Madin.

"Nope. I don't know why this kid is stepping up at me like that." Answered Alex condescendingly.

# _________________________________________

Concurrently in the mansion proper, Jean was in her room and finishing getting her uniform on when she heard a knock on her door. She could sense who it was and smiled.

"Come in, handsome." She invited.

Scott opened the door and entered already in his uniform, minus the armored hood and gloves. "How'd you know it was me? Could have been anyone you just invited into your room."

"I'd like to see someone else try to come into my room with you looking out for me." Jean joked.

Scott moved across the room closer to Jean. "You ready to go down there and kick some ass?" He challenged.

"Of course." She replied.

He approached from behind her as she adjusted her headpiece in the mirror. He placed one hand on her hip, and with the other, he reached around the front of her and grabbed her opposite wrist and with a ripcord effect, spun her face to face with himself. Their faces only inches apart.

"But first…" He raised the hand from her hip, upwards along her back, neck, and into her hair as he leaned in to kiss her. It was a long, fervent kiss. The first of that kind for them. She placed both of her hands at his hips momentarily and then raised them up to his chest and gently pushed him back.

"Everyone is probably waiting on us." She reminded.

"Let them…" He said before pecking her on the lips. "I waited years for this…" He pecked her on the lips again. "They can wait a few more minutes." Finally, he pulled her close and the heavy kissing resumed.

Without warning, there was an enormous crash and the entire mansion seemingly rumbled. The two pulled apart.

"What on earth?" Questioned Jean.

And then there was another crash followed by more rumbling. Debris flew past Jean's open door. Moments later the power shut off and the entire mansion went dark.

"Scott, what is going on?" Jean howled.

Scott ran to the window and peeked around the curtains. He jumped backward fearfully. "JEAN GET BA…"

Before he could finish, a giant fist exploded through the window and surrounding wall. Scott fell to his back looking up as a giant face with bright red eyes became visible through the gaping hole in the wall. Jean stood across from the face peering in at her with her back pressed to the wall near the door.

Another giant hand grabbed the upper edge of the hole and ripped it open even further until most of the ceiling had been removed as well. Scott and Jean finally had a clear view of the attacker. And the attacker, finally, had a clear view of them.

"MUTANTS IDENTIFIED. TARGETS ACQUIRED."

"Sentinels!" Screeched Scott.

** Chapter IX **

Night of the Sentinels

In the lower-level corridors, nearly the entire team was trapped with only the emergency floodlights to see. A portion of the mansion collapsed and blocked the passage to the main level. All of them were still unaware of what was happening above.

"Everyone get to the hangar!" Ordered Hank.

Together the team of Hank, Bobby, Madin, Ororo, Forge, and Alex moved through the dark hallways. The destruction above was so loud they could hear it below.

"What is happening? What could, possibly, be so loud up there?" Bobby frantically questioned.

"Unfortunately, I believe we already know the answer to that question. Once we have reached the surface, we must find the others at once." Hank directed. "I fear for their safety." He continued.

Ororo, who had been ahead of the pack, suddenly stopped with a gasp.

"What's wrong?" Madin asked as the group all stopped in the dark hall.

"The boys!" She uttered. "They are defenseless to whoever is causing this."

"Scott and Jean are still up there. I am sure they are looking out for them." Reassured Bobby.

The group continued forward, finally reaching the hangar.

"Bobby and Forge, can the two of you pilot the X-Jet?" Asked Hank.

"On it!" Answered Bobby.

"Everyone else join the two of them. Alex, come with me." Hank directed.

As everyone else boarded the jet, Hank and Alex ran towards the hangar door.

"It will be impossible for us to open with any haste, without the power. Can you handle it?" Hank requested before running back to the jet.

Alex's expression was somewhere between a snarl and a grin as he held up his hands facing the huge metal door. He slowly moved his arms backward towards his shoulders as his hands began to illuminate with a bright white glow. Suddenly, he shot his arms forward and the glow vacated his hands in the form of an extremely powerful blast. The hangar door was no match for Alex's gifts and was launched from its position into the water below.

"Can I handle it?" Alex mockingly repeated with an arrogant grin, as he began walking towards the X-Jet.

With everyone now on board, Bobby and Forge piloted the jet out of the hangar and into the air. They flew the jet away from the mansion before circling back and flying over to recon what was happening on the ground.

"No, no, no! Are those Sentinels?" Bobby fearfully observed.

"It would appear so. Just as I suspected." Hank anxiously confirmed.

"What have they done? The mansion is a wreck!" Alex pointed out.

Nearly half of the mansion was caved in.

"Wait, is that the military?" Madin questioned seeing dozens of armed soldiers in matching uniforms.

Bobby and Forge lowered the jet for a landing on the front lawn of the property. They huddled in the back of the jet for a quick planning brief and Hank passed out communication devices for everyone. As Bobby inserted his into his ear, he turned and saw something out the front windshield. He leaned on the control panel to get a better view.

"Umm… guys… I think we have been spotted." Bobby warned as a squad of Sentinels was landing less than twenty yards away.

Upon landing the Sentinels fanned out, surrounding the X-Jet.

"THIS IS A SECURE AREA. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Ordered one of the Sentinels.

"So how exactly do we handle this?" Bobby questioned, looking to Hank for guidance.

Some up-armored vehicles, each filled with Soldiers, began approaching, filling in the gaps between the Sentinels. A man armored for battle stepped out of one, wielding a megaphone. He removed his face shield to speak, exposing three scars running in three straight lines, diagonally across his face.

He could be heard yelling to the other Soldiers. "Tell 'em to shut these damn things down. No way are we going to be collateral if one of their robots goes on a warpath!" The superior Soldier ordered. He then raised his megaphone to his mouth. "My name is Col. Moss, formerly of the United States Army. We are the Mutant Response Division. Sanctioned by Senator Kelley of the state of New York. Exit the aircraft, NOW, and we can handle this in a civil manner, going forward."

"They don't seriously expect us to do that do they?" Alex scoffed.

"Maybe we should." Suggested Ororo.

"What? You just want to give ourselves up!?" Alex snapped.

"I never said anything of the sort." Ororo disputed, almost smiling.

Much to the contentment of the Colonel, the rear door of the X-Jet began to lower. All the Soldiers raised their weapons, in preparation for anything. As the door reached the ground, creating a ramp for entry and exit, a dense fog rolled out of the back drifting all around the jet, the Soldiers, and the Sentinels. The hovering fog made seeing even a few feet ahead exceedingly difficult.

"What's going on? Where did this fog come from?" The Colonel could be heard hollering into his megaphone.

Next, there was a deafening crack of thunder, and heavy rain began.

"Sir, Intel says there was a Mutant who could control the weather back in Mutant Town." Informed a Sergeant to the Colonel.

Moss considered this information for a moment before giving orders for the Soldiers to begin moving in on the Jet. The Soldiers switched their weapons from red status to semi and began inching towards the jet in numerous squad formations. As the Soldiers got closer and closer, the team remained close within the confines of the jet.

Bobby was the only one able to see through the dense fog, using thermal signatures. "They are getting closer. What do we do next, Storm?"

"We defend ourselves, and our home." She stated firmly.

Hank knew what that meant. And he knew she was right, even if he disagreed with it. It was time to do the thing he hated more than anything else, fight. It was, likely, because of his actions a few days prior that this was even happening.

"HALT!" The Colonel ordered from outside. Followed by the voices of Soldiers echoing the order.

Everything suddenly became incredibly quiet. A pin drop could be heard in the jet.

"Why did they halt? Why is it so quiet?" Bobby asked in suspense.

The silence lasted only a few minutes but felt like longer to the team. In the supreme silence, they could hear a low humming sound, almost a buzz. They began looking at each other, hoping anyone else knew the source of the sound. And then from within the fog, a small, spherical drone appeared, hovering into the jet. It drifted closer and closer. A small camera, inside, could be seen shifting around. The pilot of the drone was likely studying them.

Unanticipatedly, Forge pulled out his Star Wars inspired blaster pistol and shot the drone. It dropped to the floor.

"Sorry guys, but I think it is time for action." Forge bellowed.

Madin engaged his forearm blades as he charged into the fog. His pinkish glowing blades were still visible even after he was not.

"Wait for me!" Hollered Iceman as he charged out behind him.

Alex was next, he ran down the ramp and made an immediate right turn. Alex had a lot of pent-up energy and even more rage. He felt like he needed to redeem himself for getting captured in Mutant Town.

Forge looked at Hank and shrugged. "Time to be the Beast they think you are. Our survival depends on it. Forge hustled out into the fog.

"I am going to fly over the mansion and see if I can spot any of ours. Good luck, Dr. McCoy." Said Storm as she stepped out of the jet and then rose into the air.

"I will join you as soon as I can. Please find the Professor." He replied.

Hank was left standing alone in the Jet. His anxiety was enough to kill a weaker-willed man. He pulled his masked hood up over his head and began moving for the ramp. Before he exited, he stopped and looked back at the dash.

"There is a reason I am known for my mind.” He confidently said to himself as he jogged over to the control panel.

He took a seat in the pilot's chair and started the jet. After a moment, the jet lifted off the ground ascending until it was about fifteen feet in the air. He slammed the directional stick forward and ran out of the back as the jet went forward and nosedived. There was an explosion as the jet collided with the midsection of a Sentinel. Hank landed on the ground with a slick roll, ending on his feet in a defensive gorilla position. He swung his right arm and beat on his chest before charging into the fog.

As Ororo flew over the mansion trying to spot the others, she could hear screams, hollers, and gunshots going off. She knew they needed to be quick. The longer this battle went, the better suited it would be for the invaders, as they had the numbers.

# _________________________________________

Inside a mostly undamaged portion of the mansion, Angel unearthed himself from the outer wall of his room collapsing on top of him. He had been able to get his one wing up as a shield before it came down on top of him. Once out of the room, he staggered shirtless down the hallway trying to get his bearings.

"Professor!... Alex!... Hank!" He hollered out their names but heard nothing in return.

As he staggered down the hallway, he observed portions of the ceiling missing, allowing the rain in. Outside he could hear the chaos of his team fighting. He knew things were bad, but, unable to fly, there was not a whole lot he could do. After a few minutes of working his way down the hall, he reached an open bedroom door. He stepped through the doorway and noticed the silhouette of someone looking out the window on the far side of the room.

"Who are you?" Angel questioned with a raised voice.

Just as the figure turned to face him, there was a flash of lightning outside that illuminated his green face. It was Toad.

"YOU!" Angel shouted. "You are the cause for this!" He continued as he pointed over his shoulder at his missing wing.

Toad remained perched on the desk just staring as Angel began to move closer.

"You have nothing to say for what you've done?!" Angel questioned as he reached the center of the room.

"Say something, damnit!" Angel screamed.

There was a loud crash outside and Toad's head flicked back towards the window. Angel began to lunge forward, and Toad's head flicked back to him. He deployed his long tongue towards Angel, but he sidestepped and extended his left arm out, and caught Toad by the tongue as it wrapped numerous times around his forearm. Angel spun under his own arm and the tongue and then yanked Toad toward him. As Toad soared through the air, Angel reared back and caught him with a brutal punch to the face. Angel released Toad's tongue and grabbed his right hand with his left wincing in pain from the punch. After the strike, Toad thudded onto the floor and began to crawl for the door.

Angel leaned back on the desk holding his hand out in front of his face trying to move his fingers.

"Damnit, it’s broken." He muttered to himself.

As Toad made it to the hallway, Angel stalked out behind him.

"You are the reason for my pain!" Angel yelled as he ran up and punt kicked Toad in the abdomen with full force.

Toad flipped to his side, on contact, grasping at his ribs as he wheezed and gasped for air. He shifted to his back and with one hand he reached out trying to stop Angel's attack.

"You are the reason I will live every single day of the rest of my life in misery!" Angel yelled again as he connected with a stomp onto Toad's abdomen.

Toad reflexively sat up coughing and then rolled over resting on his knees and his face as he coughed up blood and mucous onto the floor below. Angel grabbed him by the hair and begin to raise him to his feet. As he struggled to his feet, one of his hands slipped through the puddle of contents he had just coughed up. Angel pushed Toad towards the wall and then grabbed him by the throat and forced a stare-off between the two.

"Do you understand yet? Do you understand that you have ruined my life?" Angel said with aggression and intensity exuding from his body.

Without thinking Angel swiftly and ferociously headbutted Toad in the face. He staggered backward feeling the impact of his own strike, though he never released his hold on Toad's throat. Having recovered enough to continue his assault he raised his own head back up, flipping his long-wet hair from his face. He snarled at Toad as he attempted to deliver a second headbutt, but Toad was able to get his hand up and catch Angel by the face. There was enough resin from Toad's mucous on his hand to irritate Angel's eyes.

Angel released his grip on Toad and stumbled away burying his fists into his own eyes to relieve the burning. Toad crawled away towards the stairs to the sound of the violence and thunder taking place outside. Angel wobbled around in the hallway, shouting in pain, trying to regain his vision. In his blinded careen he found a gap in the ceiling that was allowing a significant amount of rain to come in. He dropped his hands and raised his face to the sky allowing the water to pour onto his face. Using his left hand, he rubbed each of his eyes and then pushed his soaking wet hair back. His eyes were bloodshot and still burned, but his vision had returned.

He turned his head, searching for his prey. Toad had made it to his feet and was two or three steps down. Angel roared down the hallway before leaping and smashing into Toad, causing both to tumble disastrously down the stairs. Both Mutants thumped off every step on the way down before colliding with the unforgiving hardwood floor at the bottom. Angel tried to push himself up but could not do it. Beside him, Toad laid flat on his back on the floor heaving for air, also unable to move. Using his wing, Angel rolled to his back staring into the stormy night sky as the heavy rain poured down into the former foyer of the mansion on top of him.

# _________________________________________

Hank caught up to Ororo within the wrecked portion of the mansion. She manipulated the wind causing several small tornados to move heavy debris. He lifted heavy chunks one by one.

"Charles!" He called out. "Scott… Jean!"

"Artie… Jimmy!" Storm added.

Suddenly, in the minds of both, they could hear the voice of Professor Xavier. "I am here, I am alive. I am trapped."

"We will locate and rescue you, Charles." Hank reassured.

"I was in my chambers. I am beneath the rubble there." Charles informed.

After a few minutes of frenzied digging, Hank uncovered his mentor. After pulling him from the would-be tomb, Hank hugged him.

"I thought you were gone." Hank admitted.

"It will take much more than a house collapsing on top of me to finish me off. You should know that by now, Dr. McCoy." Charles consoled.

"I hate to interrupt. But the boys, Scott, and Jean are still missing, and the others are outside fighting. We must get a move on." Storm briefed.

"You're right…" Charles trailed off.

His brow furrowed as he looked to the ground in thought.

"What is it, Professor?" Asked Storm.

"It's Warren. We must locate him at once." Xavier ordered. "Ms. Munroe, please continue your search. Dr. McCoy, I request your assistance.

# _________________________________________

As Angel laid on the ground at the base of the stairs as uncomfortable as he could possibly be, he began to question every decision that led him to this moment. He remembered the moment he became "Angel". He thought about his mom dying in his arms. He thought about losing his wing. He thought about Jean. As he laid there under the devil's sky, he realized his life was flashing before his eyes. As much as he hated his new life, he was not ready. He reached up to his face and wiped his hair from his face. He rolled back to his stomach and did a pushup to get his knees under him. As he raised, sitting back on his knees, he saw Toad on the move once more, slowly crawling away.

Using the wall, Angel lifted himself back to his feet and began to pursue Toad once more. "One of us is going to die here tonight!" He promised.

Angel grabbed Toad by the hair and dragged him back into the opening near the base of the stairs. Toad tried squirming to get away to no avail. Finally, Angel slammed Toad's head face-first into a wall. Just as he attempted to continue his assault, he heard a sound. Much closer than the chaos outside. He spun in a circle trying to locate the source. It was in his head.

"Warren that is enough." He could hear the Professor inside his head.

"No! He has to suffer the way I suffer! The same way I will continue to suffer every day!" Warren shouted out loud in response.

Warren stepped over Toad and looked down on his defeated foe. "No one is saving you. Not tonight!" He threatened.

Warren dropped to his knees in full mount over Toad's unconscious body. He grabbed ahold of Toad's dreadlocks with his left hand and forced a fist with his broken right hand, sobbing in pain and torment as he did so. He reared back with his fist and tried to bash Toad's face in, but he was frozen. He could think and feel but he could not move.

"Warren, I said that was enough!" Commanded Professor Xavier.

Warren's body unlocked and he looked ahead seeing the silhouette of the Professor in his chair, flanked by Hank, outlined by the light behind them. He released his grip on Toad and stared through them until his eyes squeezed shut. He was covered in blood, sweat, tears, and soaked by the rain. He groaned as he placed both of his hands on the ground and then forcefully rose to his feet doing a full turn. His wing shot out to the side, in the same way, he used to do with both, to intimidate.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" The one-winged Angel screamed.

He hung his head low as rainwater and sweat dripped from his hair. His bare upper body shined in the limited light. Blood dripped from his broken right hand onto the defeated body of Toad below. He finally raised his head and looked at the darkened face of his mentor.

"I can't stay here. Not now. Not like this." He informed.

"Angel, it does not have to be like this." The professor argued.

"Angel." Warren sneered. "The Angel has fallen. He died here, tonight." He continued, as he took a few steps backward, turned, and disappeared into the fog.

# _________________________________________

The group of Iceman, Madin, Alex, and Forge were fighting an uphill battle. Fortunately, the Colonel had ordered the Sentinels be shut down, so that was a giant adversary they did not have to contend with. At least not yet. While Alex was running around blasting anything that moved, or sat stationary, like the up-armored vehicles, the other three used guerrilla warfare tactics. Utilizing the limited visibility caused by the fog. They would do small ambushes, hitting and running. The sound of Soldier's rifles firing could be heard for miles, as well as their shouts and screams.

The fog began to dissipate, making the Mutants style of combat more difficult. The Colonel who had been seated in the passenger seat of his up-armored Humvee spotted Bobby in the thinning fog.

"Hand me that briefcase in the back." He demanded to his inferiors in the vehicle with him as he opened the door and stepped out. He opened the case in his seat. It was full of, what appeared to be metal collars.

"Once engaged, this will deactivate his powers! Watch my six!" He ordered as he pulled out his sidearm and ran towards Bobby.

As he got closer, he pressed a button on the collar and held it out. Just before he reached Bobby, Madin attacked from out of nowhere. They leaped and tackled him to the ground. Madin was on top of him and began throwing punches, but the Colonel, clearly, had superior hand-to-hand combat training and blocked every shot.

The other Soldiers came running to assist their leader but Bobby noticed what was going on and held out his hands as he ran towards them, forming ice, waist-high from the ground on all the Soldiers, trapping them in their steps. When he turned around, he realized the Colonel now had the advantage in the fight with Madin. He charged closer but the Colonel drew his sidearm once again and fired it towards him, narrowly missing.

"Don't come any closer!" Col. Moss screamed.

He sat in full mount over Madin, with his pistol pointed at Bobby. Madin tried to wiggle out but the Colonel smacked them in the nose with the handle of the pistol.

"Stay down, Mutant!" He ordered.

Madin wiggled their arms free and held them to the sides, engaging their light blades. Just as they attempted to use them, the Colonel snapped the collar onto Madin's neck. Suddenly, the blades were gone. Madin's purple skin faded until he had returned to his original black skin color.

"What did you do!?" Bobby cried out.

The colonel rose to his feet and stepped back away from Madin, proud of his success. "You see that collar around his neck? It has successfully deactivated his Mutations." Col. Moss informed.

"Well, I suggest, you take it off of him!" Forge not so politely suggested as he held his blaster to the back of the Colonel's head.

Moss's eyes widened, as he dropped his pistol and raised his hands into the air. He turned around slowly to face Forge.

"It's too late, I don't hold the key to the collar." The Colonel shrugged.

"Well then, disengage…" Forge was interrupted when Col. Moss spun around and front kicked him in the knee, breaking Forge's leg in half.

"AHHHHH!" Forge screamed in pain as he dropped to the ground clutching at his mangled leg.

Moss grabbed the radio clipped on his belt. "It's time to turn them back on!" He ordered.

He grabbed Forge's blaster and started walking towards Bobby who was tending to Madin on the ground.

"Hey, scarface!" Alex yelled, having dispatched of all the other Soldiers.

Moss turned and looked at him only to see Alex standing there with his hands out prepared to unleash his powers.

"NOW!" He screamed into the radio.

"Grrrrrrr- AHHHHHH!" Alex screamed as he let loose a savage blast from both hands, propelling the Colonel through the air, crashing into the windshield of the Humvee from which he arrived.

Alex did not have long to celebrate his victory. Forge needed his help, and if the Colonel's orders over the radio were any indication, the Sentinels would be reactivated at any moment.

"Bobby! I need you to help me with Forge!" Alex called out from his knees beside the broken ally.

Bobby and the un-mutated Madin ran over together.

"This collar deactivated my powers, but I can still help!" Reminded Madin.

"Good! I am going to hook him under the arms, one of you each grab a leg." Directed Alex.

"His leg is too bad. I think it would be better if one of us firemen carried him while the other two guarded?" Bobby suggested.

"I'll do it. I will carry him. There is not much else I can do right now, anyway." Madin offered.

"Fine, get him up then!" Alex rushed.

As Bobby assisted in getting Forge upright, and onto Madin's shoulders, Alex took up a defensive position and stared at the powered-down mechs. Suddenly their eyes began to glow red.

"Guys, it's too late!" Alex warned.

"Can you carry him away from here?" Bobby asked of Madin.

"No problem." Madin replied, holding Forge across his shoulders.

"Good luck! We will come and find you!" Bobby assured before leaning in and kissing Madin on the lips.

Bobby ran over and took up a defensive position next to Alex. Standing across the field from them was a squad of five Mutant hunting Sentinels.

"X-Men, if anyone is listening. Now would be a great time to get back out here!" Bobby pleaded into his comms piece.

The Sentinels began moving towards them, fanning out to surround the two Mutants, with every step.

"MUTANTS IDENTIFIED. TARGETS ACQUIRED."

"It's now or never, Iceman. Let's wreak havoc!" Alex was determined.

"Challenge accepted!" Iceman agreed, happy to hear Alex use his codename.

Iceman ran a few steps ahead and held out his hands covering two of the menacing mechs in ice. Not to be outdone, Alex charged ahead, held out his hands, and released a plasma discharge at two of the Sentinels, striking each of them with the immensely hot plasma. The sudden switch from freezing to extreme heat caused the two Sentinels to explode instantly. Shrapnel whizzed through the air.

Iceman created an ice wall in front of him and Alex to shield them from the blast.

"WOO!" Shouted Alex.

Before Iceman could return the excitement, another Sentinel crashed through the ice, using its entire body as a battering ram.

"DO NOT RESIST. REINFORCEMENTS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED." Ordered and informed the immediate threat.

Alex and Iceman had been knocked down when the Sentinel charged through the ice. Alex hurried to his feet and held out his hands for another blast. Before he could discharge, another Sentinel grabbed him with a tentacle emanating from its hand. With Alex in its grip, the tentacle began to retract pulling him into its fist.

"CAPTURE INITIATED." Vocalized the Sentinel.

Iceman found himself surrounded by the other two. Every time he tried to blast them with ice, they would simply punch through, rendering his efforts useless.

"Hey snowman, now would be a great time to activate." Iceman sarcastically said to himself, wishing his recent power manifestation would engage.

The two sentinels were overwhelming him. He was doing everything to fight back but they were just too big and too powerful. Finally, one of them extended their hands out and trapped him in its grasp. He tried to freeze its hand from within, but it was not working. Nothing at all. Similarly, Alex was struggling in the grip of the other one, having the same issue as Iceman. He was trying his hardest to unleash his gift, but it was for nothing.

"MUTANTS APPREHENDED." Both Sentinels said at once.

All three Sentinels turned away from the destruction. Blasters in their feet that allowed them to fly, similar to Iron Man, only much larger, began to power on. Just as the trio took flight, a red blast shot across the property striking one of the Sentinels causing it to crash into the other two Sentinels. All three fell to the ground, one being destroyed by the other two landing on top of it.

"Alex, Iceman, I am coming!" Shouted Cyclops as he ran across the estate from the destruction of the mansion.

# _________________________________________

"There is no time for a complete surgery right now. All we can do is stabilize his leg." Jean informed.

"That's fine. As soon as we reach the medical bay, I will take away his pain. His knowledge of tech is necessary for getting the inhibitor collar off Maiden, anyway." Added Charles as he rolled alongside Jean through the dimly lit corridors under the mansion, trailing Hank and Maiden, each carrying an injured ally.

Jean and Hank got Forge into the medical bay and onto an operating table. His pain receptors had already been nulled by Professor Xavier, so they went straight to work on splinting his leg. Maiden carried Toad's comatose body into one of the recovery rooms and came back so Forge could have a look at the inhibitor collar.

Hank turned on a battery-powered industrial work light. "This will have to do. It is the only source of illumination presently."

Jean looked over Forge's mangled leg. "They did a number on you out there." Jean stated the obvious.

"Well, I am glad I was there, otherwise, it may have been one of the kids." Forge gestured to Maiden in front of him.

Arthur and Jimmy sat in the dark corridor outside of the operating room.

"Are you scared?" Asked Jimmy.

Arthur nodded yes, in response. Jimmy scooted closer and put his arm around his brother. "I am too. But we will be okay, I promise. The X-Men are going to take care of us."

Jean and Hank finished what they were doing and went to check on Toad, leaving Charles and Forge discussing the device that turned off Maiden's X-Gene.

"I have an idea. We need to hurry over to my shop." Informed Forge.

# _________________________________________

Once in his shop, Forge rifled through his plethora of tools. He was looking for something specific. Finally, he found it.

"Aha! Maiden, can you put this on the shop cart and roll it over to the workbench for me?" Forge asked from his wheelchair.

"Yeah, no problem. Is this some kinda generator?" Asked Maiden.

"That would be a plasma cutter. This machine can cut to a depth of one inch. Lucky for you, your collar only appears to be about a half-inch thick. We are going to cut it off you!" Forge explained.

"Oh. Is it finna hurt?" Maiden asked.

"Only if I cut too deep. You ready?" Forge responded, flicking the machine on.

Maiden's eyes expanded as he swallowed hard when the air compressor inside began to loudly hum. Forge raised the cutter to the inhibitor collar, and Maiden squeezed their eyes shut anticipating pain.

"I am quite sure the others are waiting for you. You gonna go help out or nah?" Asked Forge with a comical tone as he flicked the power switch off.

"Wait, yer' done?" They asked.

"I have been for a while now. I don't know what you're still doing here." Forge kept up the whimsical attitude.

Maiden looked down at his arms. His skin had turned purple again.

"Thanks, Forge!" They shouted as they ran out the door.

"This is Cyclops. All immediate threats have been disposed of. Alex, Iceman, and Storm are safe… Reinforcements are incoming… We need all hands-on deck!" Maiden and Hank each received the radio transmission via their comms pieces.

# _________________________________________

With Storm's bad weather having ceased, at least for the time being, the entire team consisting of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Alex, Hank, Iceman, and Madin gathered for the first time since the attack started, hours ago. Most of them shared hugs and celebrated being alive up to this point. Iceman and Madin shared a hug and kiss.

"You made it, and you're a Mutant again." Bobby cheered.

"HA! No way was I finna miss out on the action cuz' some stupid dog collar." Madin joked.

"I am glad to see you're okay, Madin." Storm added.

"Thanks, Storm. Me too!" Madin reciprocated as he hugged her.

Cyclops and Jean also shared a moment. "You cleaned up nicely out here." Jean giggled.

"I only assisted. Alex and Iceman did all the heavy lifting." He admitted.

"Regardless, I am happy you and everyone else are well." She stated, as she embraced him and rested her head against his chest.

"Where is Warren? Has anyone seen Warren? Is he with the others in the lower levels?" Panicked Alex.

"Alex, I am afraid he decided to leave." Informed Hank.

"Leave? What do you mean?" Questioned Alex.

Cyclops stepped forward. "He has had a lot of issues, and he deserted."

Alex spurned, choosing to stare at the ground rather than look at his brother. A lot of negative feelings boiled up inside of him and Scott being the bearer of bad news, only made it worse.

"I'm sorry, Alex." Cyclops tried to comfort.

Alex scoffed at his brother's apology. "You're sorry? What the hell am I supposed to do with that? You say he had a lot of issues. Who the hell are you to say that? You've got more issues than anyone else here!" Alex berated his older brother.

Scott stood there and took the verbal bombardment. It was nothing new to him. Alex had been giving him hell for years, now… That did not make it hurt any less.

"He deserted"? That is a lot coming from you. Where the hell were you when this all started? Probably off, sucking face with Jean. Then while we were out here fighting for our lives, where were you two then?" Interrogated Alex.

Scott frowned at his brother before approaching him. "Alex, I've had enough."

"Enough of what? Enough of being called out?" Alex mocked before shoving Scott.

"Guys calm down. There are bigger issues at hand." Interjected Jean.

"Oh cool. Ol' Cyclops has his woman fighting his battles now too." Alex continued mocking his brother.

Scott and his brother stood face to face, nose to nose staring at each other, daring the other to do something to provoke the other. For Alex, this was years of built-up anger, that had only leaked out on a few occasions, but he was finally ready to explode. For his brother, it was about not being demeaned and humiliated anymore for things that were not his fault. For the things that were out of his control. The rest of the team stood around watching. Everyone wanted to intervene, but they all knew it was not their place to get involved in this sibling rivalry. Both knew Jean was right, there were more important things happening and this was not the time, but it did not matter.

Without warning, there was a loud crack that echoed through the air and filled everyone's ears. Everything began to happen at once. First, most everyone looked around to find the source of the loud sound. Next, a few turned their attention to Storm. Had she summoned another thunderstorm?

"Guys?" Iceman gasped clutching with his right hand at his arm, as blood poured through his fingers, and he began to drop to his knees, having been shot in the arm where his deltoid and bicep meet.

Madin was standing right next to him and caught him before he fell, helping lower him to the ground. Jean and Hank ran to the downed teammate to assess his injury. Cyclops, Alex, and Storm surveyed their surroundings looking for who could have fired the shot.

"THERE!" Shouted Storm, pointing to the up-armored vehicles. Col. Moss had recovered from Alex's plasma blast earlier.

The Colonel's chest piece had taken most of the damage. He now stood, leaning over the hood of the Humvee, unarmored, bleeding from his head and arms holding a pistol in his hands. Alex held out his hands prepared to blast, Cyclops raised his hand to his visor also prepared, and then Madin ripped past them. Their light blades were engaged as they charged the Colonel.

"Madin, wait!" Cyclops screamed.

Madin continued with no hesitation. Once close enough he dove with his arms ahead of him, as if to dive into a pool. As they cleared the hood of the Humvee, several more gunshots went off, and then they collided with Col. Moss, impaling him through the chest with their light blades. A few brief seconds, that felt like minutes went by, and the team realized Madin had not returned to their feet yet.

"MADIN!" Storm Screeched as she took a step to jump and then glid through the air to his position.

By the time Cyclops and Alex arrived, Storm had already turned them over and was cradling their head in her lap. They suffered three bullet holes to the torso. Two in the chest and one in the abdomen.

"Noooo, Madin." She cried.

Cyclops walked closer and kneeled grabbing Madin's hand.

Madin's pupils were completely dilated, almost as if they had no iris at all. Their eyes were locked straight ahead. Suddenly, they blinked, and their eyes flicked to Storm.

"I… love you, Miss. Storm." They murmured as a tear crawled down their face.

Storm wiped away the tear on their face and forced a smile. "I love you too, baby."

Madin's eyes flickered again, to Cyclops, this time. Madin squeezed his hand as best they could. "Hey Sike…"

"Hey, buddy. You hang in there." Cyclops urged.

"Can… you do… me a solid?" Madin strained to get the words out.

"Of course! What is it?"

"Tell… Iceman… he is one _cool_ dude." Madin forced out those last words, as their grip in Cyclops hand relaxed and their eyes flickered forward one last time.

Storm began sobbing. Cyclops removed his glove and reached out to Madin's face, to close his eyelids. Alex backed up covering his face and then grabbing his hair as he sank into a crouched position.

"Madin! Is Madin okay?" Yelled Bobby as he hustled to their position still clutching his arm.

Alex returned upright and positioned himself in Bobby's way as he tried to body block him from making it over and seeing Madin.

"Bobby, Bobby, stop." Alex pleaded.

But it was for nothing, Bobby forced his way around and ran to Madin. As soon as he looked down at him, he knew… But he refused to accept it.

"Madin!" He cried as he hugged their lifeless body. "Madin, come back. You have to!" He whispered as tears rushed down his cheeks.

Jean kneeled beside Bobby and put her hand on his back while he was hunched over.

Hank took a position next to Cyclops. "While I would never wish to undermine Bobby's pain, presently, he is lucky to be alive. That bullet penetrated his shoulder. Less than a foot to the left, and it, very well, might have been his heart." Hank informed.

Cyclops nodded in acknowledgment as he watched Bobby mourn. Bobby finally released his embrace on Madin and pulled away slowly. Jean took him in her arms with a hug of her own.

Cyclops turned and looked east out towards the water that surrounded the Mansion on three sides. The Sun was beginning to rise. As he gazed, he could see an enemy fleet incoming. Staring at the X-Men's biggest threat, yet. He took a few seconds to prepare himself, taking a deep breath and correcting his posture. He remembered that he was chosen as the leader of the team, and right now, he needed to be a leader.

Turning back to face the group he began to speak. "Guys, we've got incoming." He informed pointing in the direction of the impending threats.

Everyone except Bobby followed his point, and observed the Sentinels on the horizon, moving closer.

"I know right now sucks! I know this a horrible thing I am asking of all of you, but we have to get back up, and we have to fight!" Cyclops began to encourage.

As he spoke, all eyes shifted to him. They needed his encouragement if they were to keep on fighting.

"This has been the most tasking night of most of our lives. Forge's leg was broken in half. Warren is gone. Madin…" Cyclops hesitated looking down to Bobby and Madin. "…Madin is gone too. Do not let these losses be in vain. We all have to pull ourselves up, and fight, not just for ourselves, but for them!"

The team's spirits were beginning to rise because of Cyclops' words. He could see it. He recognized that his words were rallying the team.

"As I look around at each of you, I can see the fire waging in your eyes. I can see your grit! I believe we are a force to be reckoned with, I think we have proven that here tonight. I believe we can be an Army. I will stand against every Sentinel that comes my way until I stand atop a mountain of metal scraps. But I need all of you to stand with me…"

Everyone's demeanors were changing. They were becoming reenergized. They were ready to take on anything.

"If I fall, pick. Me. Back. Up! Just as you can expect I would for you. This is for our survival. And the Future of Mutantkind. We are warriors. We did not ask for it, but we were born for this! We will endure the pain, so others can, simply exist. I believe in the future; they will tell stories about this night! We all have our own story that led us to this moment, we have all come from different places, but if for nothing else aside from this moment, we all share the same name. We are the X-Men, who will fight with me?"

Cyclops extended his fist out in front of himself. He stood there, jaw clenched, waiting for his team to return the gesture. The enemy was getting closer and closer.

"For the X-men!" Jean declared as she held her fist to Cyclops'.

"For the future of Mutantkind." Hank declared, holding his fist to theirs.

"For Madin, and the fallen Morlocks." Declared Storm as she added her first.

Alex stood in front of the other four feeling inspired and prepared for battle. He wanted to be a part of it, but pride stood in his way. He was still upset with Cyclops. He stared daggers through his brother, as the four of them stared back at him.

"Alex, we can talk later, we can sort out our issues… later. Right now, we need you!"

Alex's scorn slowly melted away and he moved closer, as the Sentinels did the same overhead. "For Warren." Alex declared as he bumped his fist with the others.

Bobby remained on his knees at Madin's side through all of this. The group looked at Cyclops as he looked at Bobby.

"Bobby…" Cyclops called.

Bobby did not acknowledge his name. He sat over his fallen friend with his hands buried in palms. His spirit was broken.

"Iceman!" Cyclops shouted, trying again.

His head turned up and looked into everyone else's eyes. Just through eye contact, he shared his pain with the rest of them. He leaned over Madin one more time and kissed him on the forehead, before rising to his feet. Bobby walked ahead of the team and turned to watch as the Sentinels prepared for landing, less than one hundred yards away.

Bobby could hardly stand upright. He hunched, clutching at his damaged arm. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy from crying. The devastation he was feeling was written on his face. He was suffering emotionally and physically. When the first Sentinels' feet touched down on the ground, he turned and looked back at the team. He was fighting back tears and trying to contain his pain.

He took a few steps closer and his hand slipped away from his injured arm. He caught his good arm before it fell to full extension. His eyes drifted to the blood on his hand from his bullet wound.

"MUTANTS IDENTIFIED. TARGETS ACQUIRED." Echoed behind him as each Sentinel locked in on them.

Bobby turned his head looking back at the Sentinels one more time. And then his head turned to look at his team. Noticeably, the defeated look he had previously, was gone, replaced by assurance, bravery, fortitude, conviction… grit. At the sight of the Sentinels nearing, his fists clenched, and then he felt something in his hands.

The others watched as he looked down at his hands. Ice crystals were forming in the space around his fingers as he unclenched his fists. Suddenly, his hands were consumed by solid ice. They observed as a tiny smirk crossed his face. And then he tilted his head up and looked at his team. With the Sentinels less than twenty yards away, he raised his fist in front of his face as the ice continued to encase his arms.

Finally, he raised his fist into the air over his head and then quickly brought in, fist-bumping the other X-Men. Upon doing so, the ice instantaneously spread out, up to his shoulders, down his torso and legs. Lastly, encapsulating his head, as his hands shot out to his sides and his chest puffed. His entire body from head to toe was entirely encased in a thick durable ice.

He took a few steps ahead before aiming his palms at the ground ahead of him and then creating an ice-slide. He ascended into the air over the destruction of his home, before curving around, whipping and winding, like a roller coaster. Suddenly, he turned head-on with the face of one of the titans, holding out one of his hands that he formed into an ice spike. He impaled his way straight through its head, coming out on the other side, still sliding.

The rest of the team followed Iceman's lead and charged into battle with the enormous Sentinels.

Storm shot up into the air. Her eyes turned solid white and began to glow. She held out her left hand above her head as dark clouds began rolling into the vicinity. A burst of lightning struck down to her fingertip and then surged through her body, before returning to the sky from her fingertip.

"Storm, mistress of the elements. I command you to yield!" Storm roared as the skies opened, and rain began to fall, thunder clapped, and numerous strikes of lightning struck various Sentinels, causing them to overcharge and explode.

"Jean, can you give us some cover?" Requested Cyclops.

She raised her hands near her face, palms facing inward towards each other, and hyper-focused on Cyclops, Alex, and Hank. Around the group, formed a transparent spherical force field. As the three of them charged into battle, she was able to keep them protected as the Sentinels began attempting to strike them.

Iceman slid past the group of three, and then he went vertically into the air creating his slide with one hand, and with the other, he created an ice column alongside him. Hank exited the forcefield and scaled the ice column until he was high enough to jump out onto the shoulder of one of the mammoth Sentinels. Once there, he climbed onto its head and began clawing into it, frantically. The Sentinel reached to swat him away, but he dropped onto its face and reached into the robot's eye and yanked out the lens that allowed it to see.

Hank leaped away just as Cyclops blasted its head right from its shoulders. As he dove for the ground, another Sentinel reached out and grabbed him, trapping him in its grip. Like Bobby and Alex in an earlier fight, Hank noticed his mutations begin to diminish. He watched as his claws changed into normal fingernails and the dark blue fur on his arms began to recede. For a moment, he considered a life in the hands of a Sentinel, if it meant being normal.

"If anyone could assist me, it would be greatly appreciated." He called through his comms piece.

"I've got him!" Shouted Storm having been on a rampage.

She swooped through the air to Hank's position, when unexpectedly the enormous fist of a Sentinel slammed down on her back sending her crashing into the ground. She was already knocked out before she even crashed into the ground.

Cyclops witnessed as she was taken down. "STORM! Never mind us, Jean. Get Storm off the field! We will get Hank." He directed.

The forcefield around Cyclops and Alex dissipated and Jean used her telekinesis to raise Storm's body from the ground and levitated her safely to her position. A Sentinel reached out for Storm, but Iceman slid by and unleashed a flurry of ice into the face of the Sentinel.

"Not today!" He hollered as he kept moving.

Alex blasted the same Sentinel in the face, causing its head and then its body to explode.

"Not any day!" Alex elaborated.

Hank continued trying to fight his way out of the Sentinel's hand, but his brute strength was negated in the giant mech's hand.

"DO NOT RESIST." Ordered the Sentinel as the blasters in its feet ignited and it began to take off.

"Any day, now, would be most excellent!" Hank rushed.

Finally reaching his position, Cyclops blasted the Sentinels arm at the elbow, cutting it in half. The dismembered arm, still gripping Hank, slammed into the ground. Moments later Hank emerged from the hand, with his usual appearance having returned.

"Gratitude." Hank thanked.

"Anytime, I need you to go and assess Storm!" Cyclops ordered.

"At once." Hank acknowledged.

Iceman came in for a landing beside Cyclops and Alex. The three of them stood there as another wave of Sentinels approached.

"DO NOT RESIST MUTANTS." Ordered the Sentinels in unison.

"You guys ready…"

A sudden blast went off launching all three in separate directions and creating a small crater where they had been standing.

This new wave of Sentinels had cannons in their hands. As they fanned out, the Sentinels held out their hands firing at will.

"SURRENDER MUTANTS."

With Cyclops, Alex, and Iceman all incapacitated, the defensive line had been erased.

Jean witnessed what happened as Hank made his way over. "Scott?!... Bobby?!... Alex?!... Can any of you hear me?" She called out in a panic.

Iceman, back in his human form, laid on the ground, nearly, fifteen yards away. He tried his hardest to get back to his feet but was unable to muster the strength to stand.

"Cyclops… Are you alright?" Cried out Jean over the comms.

Jean waited for a response, but there was only silence. Her concern grew. Just as she was going to telepathically search for him, a sound came through the comms.

"Ughh… Yeah, I am here, Redd." He finally answered.

"Scott, where are you?" She questioned, as she peeked out from behind the rubble that used to be the library _inside_ of the mansion.

Jean and Hank moved Storm and Madin's body there for better concealment and watched the swarm of Sentinels as they ransacked the property. The Sentinels eyes projected like giant searchlights towards the ground, probing the area, searching for Mutants, with intent to destroy. No stone was being left unturned.

Jean eagerly awaited Cyclops' response, still peeping out at the Sentinels. She watched as one took a knee and used its massive hands to unearth a substantial chunk of dirt and concrete from the ground. As it did, a giant red blast emanated from the ground and decapitated the Sentinel.

"Oh! There you are." Jean said, relieved to see his eye beam shoot into the air.

"Cyclops, I honestly believe, retreat should be considered as a viable option at this point. We are outnumbered and outgunned. We are being overwhelmed." Hank recommended.

After a moment of silence, Scott responded. "I am not leaving without Alex… You guys get the wounded down to medical."

"Scott, I am not leaving this field without you?" Jean argued. "Where are Bobby and your brother?" She continued.

"I'm over here. But I need some help." Answered Bobby over comms.

"Bobby, where is 'here'?" Jean questioned like a concerned older sister.

Bobby raised a hand into the air and with his last bit of energy, he shot ice straight into the air to show his position.

Hank and Jean looked at each other. Anxiety was at an all-time high. With every thud of the Sentinel's footsteps, their hearts skipped a beat.

"Hank, I think you should get Storm and Bobby down to medical?" Directed Jean.

Hank nodded in agreement. "Will you be alright here?" He asked, scooping Storm and Madin into his large arms.

"I will be fine." She affirmed.

"Does anyone have eyes on Alex?" Cyclops radioed.

"No, none of us have seen him. Will you please fall back, and we can put together a plan to find him?" Jean pleaded as Hank made his exit to collect Bobby and get to the medical bay.

Cyclops began to crawl out of his hole in the ground. Every time the searchlight eyes passed over him, he would press his face into the ground in hopes of remaining unseen.

"I am not retreating, I am not falling back, I am not leaving… without Alex!" Insisted Cyclops.

He crawled across the ground, his uniform was torn and disheveled. The armored mask potion was broken and ripped open, exposing his hair. He had lacerations and scrapes visible anywhere you could see his skin. But none of that mattered to him. All that mattered, was not leaving without Alex. As much as he detested the kid, he still loved his brother.

"Scott!" He heard from behind a slab of concrete that stuck out of the ground vertically, roughly twelve feet away.

"Alex, is that you?" Scott called out.

He saw a thumbs-up stick out from behind the wall. He knew he needed to get to his brother. Cyclops waited for the lights to pass over his head once more and then he climbed to his feet and charged for the slab of concrete and dove behind it, landing next to his brother.

"Are you okay? Why didn't you answer through comms?" Cyclops questioned.

"It's gone." Alex answered pointing to his communication device-less ear.

The two brothers laid on their bellies beside each other, peeking out from behind the wall. Witnessing as the hoard of giant Sentinels searched the area.

"What are we going to do?" Asked Alex.

"Well… can you stand?" Cyclops answered with a question of his own.

"Yes."

"Can you fight?"

"I think I've got a little left in me." Alex answered.

"Good, then that is what we are going to do." Cyclops said with a smirk.

"Perfect!" Alex returned the smirk.

This was the first time the two brothers had shared a smile, in a long-long time, and Cyclops cherished it. The two climbed to their feet, using the slab of concrete as support.

"How many do you see?" Alex asked.

Cyclops peeked around the left side of the slab. "I count nine on this side. What about you?"

"I see five over here." Alex said, peeking the right.

By their count, there were eleven foes between them and survival. Of course, they could not be sure if there was any overlap.

"On three! 1…2…"

"We were born for this!" Alex declared with a determined grin.

Cyclops paused on his count and turned to face his brother once more. The two brothers gripped each other's hands in their own.

"3!" Cyclops shouted.

They split around the slab of concrete and charged out into the open with battle cries. Each of them giving their best shots. They were eliminating some of the closer threats, damaging the ones a little further out, and simply gaining the attention of the ones furthest away.

"MUTANTS IDENTIFIED. TARGETS ACQUIRED."

The Sentinels began marching toward them, returning fire. The brothers did everything they could to evade the giant blasts that rocketed towards them.

"Six more!" Cyclops counted.

From her concealment, Jean watched, as the brothers fought and struggled to stay alive. She raised her index and middle fingers to her temple and placed a force field around them once more. This proved important as the Sentinels began raining down on the two ruthlessly. It was difficult for Jean to maintain with all that power crushing down on top of the forcefield. One Sentinel began to penetrate the force field, palm to the perimeter, and driving its hand downward with its laser cannon engaged. Cyclops reached into one of his belt pouches and pulled out a grenade.

"Alex, get on the ground!"

"But I am holding these ones off." He disputed.

"Just do it!" Cyclops demanded.

Alex relented in his defense and dropped to the ground and covered his head. Cyclops pulled the spoon off the grenade and tossed it only a few feet upward into the air before jumping on top of his younger brother. The grenade reached the palm of the invading Sentinel and detonated, exploding the Sentinel with it.

This blast was too much for Jean. She had exhausted her telepathic ability and nearly fainted, stumbling backward onto the ground.

Cyclops rolled off his brother, and onto his back, totally shell-shocked by the explosion. He took the brunt of it since he covered Alex. Alex climbed to his feet, only to see their impending doom. The final five Sentinels were spreading out around them. Alex leaned down and grabbed his older brother by the chest and shoulders and began to pull him up to his feet.

"Scott! Come one, come on!" Alex yelled frantically.

For Scott, the entire world was spinning and blurry. He could hear the sound of Alex's voice but was unable to make out what he was saying, over the loud piercing sound in his ears. He reached out trying to grab onto Alex for balance.

"Alex… what… is …"

"Oh, shut up!" Alex ordered. "CLOSE. YOUR. EYES!" Alex said loud and slowly for his brother to understand.

Alex grabbed ahold of Scott's visor and pulled it off. His visor is what harnessed Scott's dangerous power. Without it, if his eyes were to open, he could potentially unleash a tremendous blast.

"Can you hear me?" Alex questioned.

The ringing in Scott's ears had relaxed enough for him to hear the question. "Yes!" He yelled to hear his own voice."

"When I say now, I want you to open your eyes. Got it?"

"Got it!" Scott hollered once again.

Alex stood back-to-back with his brother as the five Sentinels moved closer and closer to them. He held his hands in front of his face.

"NOOOOOOOOOWWWW!" Alex screamed with all his might.

Scott's eyes burst open, as his arms flexed at his sides, and his back arched, unleashing the deadliest, most uncontrolled blast he had ever allowed to come from his eyes. It ripped through the Sentinels in his path. At his back was Alex. He released the most destructive, and unrestrained blast of his life, as each of his hands, and his chest all three discharged a plasma blast with such force it exploded the Sentinels it encountered instantly.

"Look right!" Shouted Alex.

At the same time, both brothers turned and let the fifth Sentinel feel the brunt of their combined, unbridled power, immediately incinerating the enormous robot.

"NOW CLOSE!" Ordered Alex.

As Cyclops squeezed his eyelids together, he and Alex both collapsed and fell to their hands and knees. Alex grabbed ahold of his brother's visor and passed it back to him. They expended every last drop of their energy. Cyclops, still not recovered entirely from his shellshock, placed his visor back over his eyes and took a deep breath, as he stared at the ground.

Alex placed his hand on his brother's shoulders. "This is it, brother."

Cyclops did not know what Alex meant, but then he felt the ground rumbling under him. He slowly turned his head up, only to see four more Sentinels that just landed and were now advancing on them.

"I have nothing left." Alex admitted.

Cyclops sat upon his knees and stared at the mech giants. He reached out and grabbed Alex's shoulders and pulled him close.

"I love you, little brother." Scott said.

Alex looked over at the face of his brother. "I… love you too."

The two sat on their knees, arms extended around each other's shoulders, having fought their hearts out. As all four Sentinels raised their, eight total hands out at them, prepared to fire. Scott and Alex were prepared to die. They knew they had given everything they had. A tear rolled down Alex's face as he stared into the faces of the giants that were about to end his life.

Suddenly, the Sentinels on the ends turned inward and blasted the Sentinels next to them, destroying them in the process. The two remaining Sentinels face forward again and out of nowhere, the one on the right's head whipped and fell off as if someone had just snapped its neck.

The final Sentinel's arms raised outstretched to the sides as if its arms were the rope in a game of tug o' war, its body abruptly began to rip in half. Once it was completely ripped in two, both halves of the last titan tipped over, slamming into the ground. The brothers swung their heads and looked at each other as a cloud of dust from the fallen Sentinel flew past them.

When the dust cleared, two hooded figures could be seen approaching them. One was shorter and slender like a female. She wore a leather jacket with a hood and dark pants. The second, larger, like a male. He wore a hooded cape, with a dark armored chest piece. As the two approached, Cyclops and Alex had no idea what to expect. But having seen how easily they just took out those Sentinels, Scott knew they did not stand a chance, currently.

Finally, the hooded figures stood over the brother’s exhausted bodies. Together, they looked up to find out what their fates would be. The male looked down and then raised his hands to remove his hood.

"Hello, I have come in search of an old friend, Charles Xavier." Said the strong, old man.

Barely able to hold his head up, Cyclops rocked back sitting on his feet to aim his face toward them. "I believe he is busy presently. And you are?"

The old man smiled. "I am… Magneto."

Under his visor, Cyclops' eyes grew enormous. He had heard so much about Professor Xavier's oldest friend.

Cyclops started trying to pull himself up out of respect for the name.

"No, no. You do not have to rise for me. You are in no condition." Magneto relieved them.

"Thank you, sir. This has been one hell of a night." Cyclops informed.

"Well, it is over now." Magneto affirmed.

"We appreciate your assist, sir." Said Scott. "My name is Scott Summers; this is my brother Alex." Scott introduced.

At the sound of their names, the female's attention perked.

"I do apologize… Please let down your hood, my dear." Magneto said to the second figure.

As her hood came down, Alex looked up at her face. He could not believe who he was seeing. For a second, he questioned if this his worst nightmare was, in fact, nothing more than a dream… For she was the face he saw every time he closed his eyes.

Magneto continued. "This is my daughter; you can call her… Polaris.

# _________________________________________

"How can this be? It's not possible?" Questioned Charles to himself as his eyes jolted open. He had been watching the battle through the mind's eye of all his students.

"What is the matter, Charles? Was the battle lost?" Forge wore the face of fear, hoping not, but anticipating the worst.

Charles gazed around the medical bay, first at Hank checking Storm's back for injuries, then to Arthur and Jimmy across the room, before finally looking at Forge allowing the slightest smile. "On the contrary, Forge. The battle has been won… With the assist from an ally, I would not have suspected in a million years."

Forge's face lit up as he took a wild guess. "The Guardians of the Galaxy?"

Hank took one look at Charles' face. "I suspect your guess is false."

Charles ignored Forge's guess. Instead, he chose to contact Cyclops telepathically. He insisted that Magneto be escorted to his position in the lower levels beneath the mansion.

# _________________________________________

Cyclops, Alex, and Jean plus Magneto and Polaris traveled down together. Aside from Cyclops' giving directions as he led the way, the trip down was relatively quiet. No one was sure what to say. Cyclops and Jean were in awe of Magneto's presence. They had heard so much about him from Professor Xavier.

Alex was feeling overwhelmed with emotion. On one hand, he was thrilled that the battle was over. On the other hand, to see her again, but not be acknowledged was breaking his heart. He had not taken his eyes off her, but she had hardly looked at him at all, and he was unable to figure out why.

Upon reaching the medical bay, they funneled into the room one at a time. First was Alex, then Jean, followed by Cyclops. Next through the door was Magneto, followed closely by his daughter.

Professor Xavier offered each of his students their own unique smile as they entered the room. When Magneto walked through the door, his expression melted away. To a degree, he almost looked sad. The two held eye contact for a few, long, seconds. Charles felt uncommonly emotional. He did not think he would ever see Magneto again, after losing touch with him almost thirty years prior. Finally, Magneto's unreadable, straight-face slipped away, and he smiled as he looked into Charles' eyes.

Magneto quietly cleared his throat and then spoke the first words Charles would hear him speak in nearly three decades. "Hello, old friend."

** Chapter X **

In the days that followed

The team held a small memorial service in honor of Madin. They buried him on the property. Their tombstone was marked with the same four triangles that created an "X" in the negative space, that was on the team's uniforms. Ororo, having known them the longest, and having one of the closest relationships with them, delivered the eulogy. She spoke about their time in the Morlocks together and how excited they both were for the fresh start they were receiving with the X-Men. In closing Ororo, thanked everyone for allowing them the opportunity to be an X-Man before Madin died.

Bobby also spoke during the commemoration. He stood ahead of everyone else, with his arm in a sling, and told the group a story about when he was much younger, and how kids bullied him for being gay. From that day forward, he hid that side of himself and locked it away deep inside. As hard as he tried, Bobby could not help but start crying. He shared how Madin had the uncanny ability to unlock the door and pull Bobby back out, literally and figuratively. He finished up by stating that he had not known Madin for all that long at all, but he will never forget them, and he will live the rest of his life with gratitude, honored to have gotten the opportunity to be close with them.

# _________________________________________

Still in their suits from the funeral, Hank, Charles, and Forge sat staring at the water. Forge rose to his feet, with his new bionic upper leg, and turned to look back at the destruction that used to be their home. He sighed as he began to think.

"What is it Forge?" Asked Charles.

"I… I just don't know what is next for us. The mansion is wrecked. What are we supposed to do now?"

"We rebuild. It is what we must do. The two of you and the kids fought for this. We will rebuild the mansion, only bigger."

"Why bigger?" Forge asked.

"If we are going to welcome more students, we are going to need more space." Charles grinned coyly.

"You do amaze me, Charles." Hank spoke. "Your eternal optimism could truly be one of this world's greatest wonders." He continued.

Charles' smile grew. "Magnus has already informed me that he will help us rebuild, and then the four of us will provide the means for a superior future to the Mutants of tomorrow."

"Only by giving, are you able to receive more than you already have." Quoted Hank.

Charles' smile faded. He continued staring at the water a moment longer before turning his face to Hank.

"What are you suggesting, Dr. McCoy?"

"Please Charles, do not be naïve. You know Magneto better than anyone. You expect he just rose from the dead, and showed up here, without something in mind?"

"As a matter a fact, I have come seeking a favor from your mentor, Dr. McCoy." Spoke Magneto as he approached from the trio's flank.

All three turned to face him. Hank momentarily turned to Charles, as if to suggest, "Told you so."

"Forge, Hank, would you please excuse us?" Charles requested.

"Proceed with caution, Charles." Warned Hank before taking his leave.

Forge glared at Magneto and then nodded his head in response to Charles and he too was off.

Charles and Magneto watched as the two of them walked off for a few seconds. Once Charles deemed they were far enough away he turned to Magneto, who was already looking at him.

"What kind of favor are you looking for?" Asked Charles.

Magneto's lips pursed as he contemplated how to ask. "Charles, there is a reason the world thought I died that day. I chose it. I chose to live in isolation. I was defeated, not just me, but also the sanctuary that I provided for so many other Mutants. Many were killed, thousands more were depowered by that chemical virus they spilled into the air. After that canister opened in my hand, I realized my people would be safer, they would stand their best chance if I were dead. I quietly surrendered my role as the leader of Genosha to a member of the council…"

"Why didn't you tell me, Magnus? All those years, you never let me know you were alive. I checked Cerebro, in search of you, every day for that first decade. And sporadically after that, wishfully thinking." Charles interrupted.

Magneto tilted his head back looking towards the sky. And then returned his neck to neutral and looked at Charles. "The answer is quite simple. Just as your associates despise me, I despised you for many of those long years. I resented you for bringing those people to Genosha. I regretted agreeing to your plans to bring Mutant and Humankind together. I blamed you for all of it. And then, eventually, I found blame for myself, and I despised you for making me waver in my beliefs. Instead of staying the course, I paused. I paused to go forth with your ideas for a world where we could coexist, not just us and them, but you and I, Charles."

Charles was taken back by all that he just heard. He too had felt responsible for what happened, all those years ago, but now it was like his nose was being rubbed in it. Still yet, he could not be mad at Magneto. He was only glad to see him alive.

Magneto continued. "This week was the first time I used my gifts in the twenty-six years since that atrocious day. When I retreated, I went to the Genoshan mountains. I built a cabin by hand. The only metal for miles around were the nails that held together my home and cooking utensils.

I was contented to live out my days in those mountains, until the very end. And then, a few weeks ago… This beautiful young woman arrived, the first unexpected visitor I had in twenty-six years. She told me a story of perseverance. She told me about her entire journey up until that moment. And then she concluded by informing me she is my daughter."

"Magda?" Charles asked.

Magneto's eyes welled up at the sound of his long-lost love's name. He nodded yes. "I believe she was pregnant when she fled."

"I am terribly sorry, Magnus. If there is anything, I can do…" Charles consoled.

Magneto interrupted. "I do believe there is something you can do. Polaris has secured documents, confirming that she is one of three. I urge you to put on Cerebro and have a look. See if you can find her siblings, my children."

Charles licked his bottom lip before lightly pressing his front teeth onto it taking in everything that was being said to him. He considered the request. He began to nod, answering his own thoughts as he looked off in no direction, in particular.

"Of course. I will do everything I can to help you find them."

# _________________________________________

Alex leaned against the wall in the hall of the medical bay outside of the recovery room that Polaris' was staying in. She had continued to ignore his existence for a few days, and he had enough of it. He did not understand why she was treating him like this. During the funeral, he decided when it was over, he would walk down there and wait there until she came out. That way she would have nothing to do but face him.

After waiting, with his back pressed against the wall near her door for nearly an hour, he heard the door handle begin to twist, he quickly and without thought, stood upright and turned his frame to appear as if he had just walked up as she began to step out of the door. She stepped out and saw him there, and quickly turned and started to walk in the other direction.

"What are you doing? You don't even know where that direction goes." Alex yelled frustrated.

She continued walking, making a right turn at the end of the hall. She continued walking until she reached another right turn, as she came around the corner, she could see Alex standing at the end of the hall ahead of her.

"I told you, you didn't know where you were going. It's a big square." He said condescendingly.

She pulled an about-face and went back the way she came. She considered turning into any of the other rooms but did not know who might be inside. Finally, she turned back into the original hall where the door to her room was about halfway down. As she started towards it, Alex turned the corner at the opposite end.

"Why are you doing this?" He questioned.

She ignored him, only having about ten more feet until she reached her room. As she got closer, she used her ability to control metal turning the doorknob and pulled the door open. Just as she walked into her room, Alex called out one more time.

"LORNA!" He shouted; his voice echoed down the hall.

She stopped halfway through the doorway. She hesitated and then took a step back out of the room. Her face was tilted down, and her eyes were fixed on the floor. As she rose her face up, he could see a tear run down her face. Alex hustled down the hallway to her. As soon as he was within arm's reach, she reached out and embraced him, as he did her. They stood there, silently hugging in the hallway for a good three minutes. As she finally pulled back, she sniffled and wiped away a tear with her sleeve.

"Lorna, what's the matter?" He asked.

She huffed and dramatically shrugged her shoulders as she raised her hands out in front of herself. A nervous, embarrassed smile consumed her face.

"I don't know Alex. I'm just… I'm just so sorry." She apologized.

"For ignoring me?"

"I mean, yeah, that and everything else. Look at you! You're a man now. I am so sorry I left you." She atoned, wiping away another tear.

She wore a disappointed expression, as he shrugged it off. He tried to make it seem like her leaving him behind was not one of the most emotionally painful moments of his life. But he knew that was not true. He had not considered it until now, but she was right, he had grown into a man since the last time they saw each other, some eight years prior.

"Why have you been ignoring me?" He questioned.

Lorna bit her lip as her eyes bounced around the hallway, eventually landing on him. "When I realized that was you on the surface the other day, I was ecstatic to see you. I wanted to reach out and pull you to your feet. Although seeing you on your knees on the battlefield wasn't where I wanted to find you, I was so happy to see you again. I didn't know if I would ever see you again after I left. And then it hit me… I left. And the idea of facing you was suddenly more intimidating than seeking out my father…" Her voice trailed off.

Alex nodded in understanding. "I couldn't believe my eyes when you let down your hood. Seeing you again was something I had almost certainly thought would never happen again. Let alone coming to our aid… with Magneto."

Lorna grinned as she reached out and grabbed Alex by his face. Both of her hands holding his jawline. "I just can't believe you. I guess this is what happens when you get blipped. People pass you by…"

"You got blipped?!" Alex startled.

When Lorna nodded yes, he reached out and hugged her again. She nuzzled her face into his chest. Something she had never been able to do before, he was shorter than her by a few inches the last time they saw each other.

"This is nice." She admitted.

Alex felt a smile starting to come on, but then his anxiety trumped it. The fear of losing her again consumed him. He released his embrace and turned, resting his hands on the wall for support. He had lost anyone he ever loved, most recently his best friend, Warren.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Lorna questioned.

He squinted his eyes while his tongue passed between his teeth, ending with his lips pursed. He pushed away from the wall and looked at her in all seriousness.

"Promise me you won't abandon me again." He demanded.

She hesitated, not sure if that were a promise she could keep. It was not that she wanted to leave him again, but she and her father had a mission ahead of them. She stared into his blue eyes. She still could not believe how much he had physically matured, how handsome he had grown up to be.

Her eyes drifted up towards the top of the wall where it met the ceiling. "I promise."

He smiled and reached out, hugging her once again. Holding her close was something he had dreamed about every night since the first time he saw her face. This hug, different than the last, extinguished his anxiety. For the first time in a long time, Alex was happy.

# _________________________________________

After the funeral, Scott and Jean went back to her temporary room in the medical bay. She entered the room first. As he entered, he grabbed ahold of the doorknob and pulled it shut behind him. He watched Jean across the room as she stood with her back to him taking out her earrings before stepping out of the heels she wore to the funeral. Swiftly and serenely, he made his way across the room behind her.

Once behind her, he reached out with both hands, placing them on her hips, and pressed the front of himself to the back of her. He extended his neck to get his face around her long red hair and began kissing the back of her neck. He could feel as she entered his mind.

"What do you think you are doing, Mr. Summers?" She asked telepathically as her hands met his on each of her hips.

He suddenly pushed and pulled on each of her hips simultaneously, spinning her around to face him. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before smirking at her as one hand crawled up her back. He took the zipper of her dress between his index finger and thumb.

"Well, Miss Grey… I am going for it." He answered out loud with a knowing smile.

She giggled as she grabbed him by the face and pulled herself in for a long kiss. He continued unzipping her dress while she began pulling his shirt untucked. After removing her dress, he scooped her up under her butt. She wrapped her arms around his neck over the shoulders and he carried her over to the bed laying her down on her back. He crawled over her, kicking off his dress shoes at the same time.

"Tell me a secret. I promise not to find it in there before you tell me" She whispered as she started wrestling his tie undone.

"Well…" He stalled.

He leaned in and kissed her lips, and then dragged his pursed lips across her cheek until he got to her ear. He nibbled lightly on her ear as she pulled off his tie and started working on the buttons of his shirt. He began kissing down the side of her neck before giving one last breathy kiss and adding in a small bite. Her eyes closed and her back arched.

He pulled away and stared at her freckled face. An undeniable smile crossed his face. When her eyes opened. He began to stare into them.

"I can't remember what the world looked like before I started wearing these glasses. But I am positive, with or without the ruby-colored tint… you would be the most beautiful woman alive." He admitted.

She smiled and lightly bit at her bottom lip. "A secret is supposed to be something no one knows." She joked, fishing for something else.

Scott chuckled at her conceded joke. His expression conveyed that he was tossing around another secret in his mind.

"You better tell me what you're thinking. With a face like that, I am not going to stay out of there forever." She demanded with a smile as she tapped on his forehead.

He continued staring at her as he decided if he would share his secret or not. The smile on his face could not get any more genuine. He was thrilled about this evolution in their relationship.

He reached down, propping himself up over her with one arm, and pushed her hair out of her face with the other hand. "I love you, Jean Grey."

She squealed as she hugged around his neck and pulled him in for more kissing. They laid together; their bare upper bodies pressed together. Without warning, she pressed her head back into the pillows and grabbed his head, pushing him away. Her face suddenly turned completely serious. His eyebrows raised waiting for an explanation of what was happening.

And then in an instant, her smile returned. "I love you too, Scott Summers.

# _________________________________________

When Hank and Forge were excused from the conversation on the surface, by Charles, they made their way to Hank's lab together. During the battle, Hank decided he was going to finish the antidote he had been working on. And in the days after the battle, he completed it. He decided he would wait to tell Jimmy about it until he had applied to himself.

Forge sat on the edge of a lab table. He had done everything in his power to talk Hank out of it, but it was all for nothing. Hank's mind was made up, and he was going to give himself the "cure" for his mutations and he asked that Forge be there when he administered the vaccination on himself.

"I appreciate you joining me for this momentous moment, Forge." Thanked Hank.

"Yeah, of course. I still do not fully support it, but you are my friend and colleague, nonetheless. So, I am going to be here with you."

Hank smiled, appreciating Forge's honesty and loyalty. "I believe everything is in place and prepared. He began taking off his clothes until he was wearing nothing but his briefs.

"If all the tests are any indicator, these will be my final words as a Homo Superior. Here goes nothing." Hank held up the syringe as if to offer cheers.

He set the tip of the needle to the deltoid muscle in his shoulder and took a deep breath exhaling as he injected himself. For about thirty seconds nothing happened.

"Did… Did you do it right?" Asked Forge as he sat there in anticipation.

"Patience." Ordered Hank.

Suddenly, all the hair on his body began turning brown and receding. The skin on his large feet began to bubble. Hank smiled as his mutations were seemingly being conquered.

"Woah! It's working, Hank!" Forge cheered.

Hank turned and smiled in response, when he suddenly groaned and dropped to a knee clutching at his ribs, then his chest, and then his opposing arms.

"It hurts!" He cried out.

Forge leaped off the desk onto his feet and reached for Hank. "What does? What's wrong?"

"Ahhhh… everything, my skin, my insides, all of it." Hank wailed through the pain.

His hair started turning blue and began proceeding again. He dropped onto both knees with his face rested on the floor, still screaming in pain. After only a few seconds, the entirety of his body was covered in blue fur.

"Hank! What is going on? What can I do to help?" Forge frantically asked.

Hank groaned and growled in pain. He raised to a vertical position, revealing his new face. Like his body, it too was covered in blue hair. He reached out and grabbed ahold of the desk in front of him and used it to pull himself to his feet. He threw out his arm scattering everything on the table. Beakers and other glass instruments crashed to the floor with a shatter.

"Woah, Hank! What is happening?"

"Rahhhhh!" Hank roared in response. As he gripped at himself and tussled around the room, wrecking his lab supplies in the process.

He began grabbing at his mouth and grumbling. It sounded like his teeth were being pulled with no anesthesia. When he pulled his hand away, he had large sharp canine teeth sticking out of his mouth.

Suddenly, all the chaos stopped, and he dropped to all fours on the ground. He was no longer experiencing any pain.

Forge, who had been keeping his distance, hustled over, and kneeled beside his friend.

"Hank… are you okay? Why did this happen?" Forge asked.

Hank pushed up to his feet and observed his new furry form as he held out his limbs. "It would appear I made a considerable error." He responded.

Forge was startled that despite his new beastly appearance Hank had retained his intelligence. His face inadvertently expressed his surprise.

Hank studied his own body for a moment before looking up and seeing Forge's shock. Abruptly, he began laughing hysterically. Forge became even more shocked by this. Hank laughed until he began crying.

"I do not believe the famous idiom, _you win some, and you lose some_ has ever been more applicable than in this very moment." Hank intelligently joked at his own expense.

"Are… you okay, Hank?" Forge asked.

"Despite my lack of success in this endeavor… I believe I will be fine. Let this be a lesson for the future. Back to the drawing board." Hank offered a grizzly smile.

# _________________________________________

Magneto and his daughter, Polaris, stood unaccompanied in the lower-level corridors waiting for Charles to withdraw from Cerebro where he was searching the entire planet, combing through all the Mutants of the world to find Polaris' siblings, Magneto's other children. This would be a daunting task for any telepath, even Charles Xavier. The father and daughter stood in and waited patiently, full of hope.

Hope was something Magneto had given up many years ago. Uncharacteristically, to the Magneto that Charles once knew, Magneto had aborted his mission and surrendered. He chose to live of life of exile in self-isolation. It was not until the daughter he did not know existed showed up on his doorstep, having traveled across the world, that the hope he buried deep within himself began to reemerge.

Polaris eagerly awaited Professor Xavier's reappearance from within Cerebro. She had been a tortured soul for most of her life. After her adopted father turned on her, and she subsequently and inadvertently killed him, along with her adopted mother, her life had been so different than she ever imagined. Most of the time, she felt alone. That was why, despite knowing how dangerous a man her father had been previously, when she found out about their relation, she was eventually driven to find him. And when she learned she was one of a set of triplets, that was just a bonus. To this point in her life, she considered finding her father to be one of the greatest things to have ever happened to her.

The locking mechanism on the door to Cerebro could be heard as it unlocked, and the door began to open. Magneto and Polaris, both became fully alert as they watched Charles reappear in front of them. They both tried to study his face, examining for a clue to what he was about to say before he could say it. Magneto took a few steps closer, placing himself between Charles and Polaris.

"Were you successful in our search?" He asked Charles.

Charles' face remained stern and contemplative. This only added to their suspense. Magneto continued trying to read Charles' face. This was a face he had known longer than any other in his lifetime. He began to resolve that Charles was unsuccessful in his search. Polaris stood in the background, peering around her father with her big green eyes.

Charles was still trying to make out everything he just saw and was finally ready to speak. "I tried everything, but only found one more who could be your offspring."

Magneto and Polaris' faces both lit up. "Do you know where they are? Is it a son?" Questioned Magneto.

"Unfortunately, I could not locate her this time around. It is another daughter." Charles informed. His brow furrowed as he was still clearing up his findings in his mind.

"Do you know her name?" Polaris asked, delighted by the news.

Charles nodded to Polaris before looking Magneto dead in the eyes. "Your other daughter is… Wanda Maximoff." Charles informed, understanding the gravity of this information.

Magneto's eyes grew as big as Charles had ever seen them, astonished by this enlightenment. He exhaled deeply as he placed his hand over his chest. His lips pursed and his eyes sharpened as he took a step to the rear turning to face Polaris. When his gaze met hers, his expression transformed into a vile smirk.

**THE END**

**_The X-Men Will Return…_ **


End file.
